The Beauty of the Beast
by QueenCheetah
Summary: AU. Bakura Touzokou is a bitter street punk who loves fighting. But when a brawl turns ugly, he finds himself hospitalized. Abandoned and ignored, the rebel grows even more hostile. But then a kind volunteer accidentally walks into his room- and maybe his life. BxR Tendershipping WARNING: This fic contains graphic descriptions of traumatic injuries. Rating may go up later.
1. Inflamed

A cruel cackle echoed through a filthy alleyway. Three men paused as they watched the red-eyed teen laughing before them.

He hadn't had a good fight in days, and he was ready to smash some heads together.

The two smaller opponents were already backing away- one of them had a rather spectacular black eye; the other couldn't move his left arm. Neither of them seemed to want anymore to do with the white-haired devil.

The largest thug, however, was still sparring with the psychotic street brawler. He rushed the smaller fighter, but found himself slammed into the wall by a powerful kick.

The pale-skinned teen's mouth stretched into a triumphant smile. "You lose, sh*tface."

The pinned musclehead smirked. "Sh*tface, huh? That gives me an idea."

"First time for everything, I suppose."

But the giant just gave a twisted grin and pulled something out of his pocket. Bakura Touzokou could only see that it was something small- at first he thought it was a pack of cigarettes. But then he heard a strange *snap!*, like plastic breaking.

"Catch!" The ugly grunt laughed as he threw the thing right at his opponent's face.

Whatever it was, it barely hurt- it was light and small. But at the same time, Bakura felt something wet splashing on his face.

That acrid smell- what was that? He recognized it a second later- it was lighter fluid. Bakura was still struggling to wipe it out of his eyes, when he saw a faint glow in the other man's hand.

And then, everything exploded. There was a terrifying pain, like someone was ripping the flesh off his face with knives made of molten rock. He began screaming, but the only air he pulled in was scalding and suffocating.

The burning was in his nose in his mouth in his eyes in his mind everywhere- he was begging for death to take him-

and everything went black.

Frantic voices were calling out in the nothingness.

"I need 50 cc's of Oxacillin!"

"Second and Third-degrees on half his face- good gods, how did this kid even survive?!"

"Where the hell is that morphine?!"

There was something hard and round in his mouth- a breathing tube.

The white-haired teenager felt himself panicking as the tube was forced further down his throat. The pain was returning with a vengeance, and he writhed as he tried to scream.

"He's conscious!"

Bakura could see the faces looking at him- serious faces with white masks and bright lights shining from their foreheads. He blinked and re-doubled his efforts to break away from the heavy cords and cold steel keeping him stable.

Three sets of strong arms pushed him back down and held him steady. He heard more frantic voices yelling, some of them at him. His head was reeling and he could only make out certain words.

"-serious risk of infection-"

"-can't stretch-"

"-immediately sedated!"

He felt a painful twinge as something pierced his left arm. His mind barely registered that it had been an injection before he drifted back into that unnatural darkness.

When Bakura finally woke up, he learned that he was a patient in the Burn and Complex Wound Ward of Domino Hospital. Almost half of his face had been devoured by the flames. After several days of painful injections and 'cleanings,' he was finally lucid enough to listen to one of the physicians.

The head doctor of the burn ward, Dr. Kiyoshi, was painfully blunt in his analysis.

"Approximately 40% of your face was badly burned. You will be highly vulnerable to infections in the upcoming weeks, and you may become fatally ill if your wounds are not treated regularly. You will need to stay here, in the ward, for at least a month."

Bakura was stock-still as the doctor continued explaining the boy's condition.

"It's fortunate that your eyes were, for most part, spared; however your throat was badly burned. It's difficult to judge an internal injury, but the trauma may cause your throat to form calluses on your vocal cords. This will mean more surgery- and, depending on the severity- may possibly render you mute for the rest of your life."

The white-haired teen could hardly process all of this, but the doctor didn't pause.

"As a ward of the state, you have government-assigned insurance, and your stay will be covered. You may also be eligible for a skin transplant; however we would need to find a donor- someone medically compatible with (hopefully) the same skin tone. However, even so, a transplant still wouldn't be scheduled for several weeks or even months. Your face must be partially healed for the excision or it may reject the graft- everything must be free of infection and decay."

Dr. Kiyoshi shook his head. "This is a highly unfortunate situation, and I'm sorry that you must go through it. However, I promise we will provide you with the best care possible."

Bakura nodded dazedly. He still couldn't believe what had happened; what _was_ happening.

"I'm the lead director of the burn ward- if you need anything just ask one of the nurses to contact me. Otherwise I'll be by to check your progress every few days."

Bakura was led back to his room by another physician, where he promptly sat down on the hard bed. He stared at the wall and gripped the starchy covers. He'd been in the room for over a week. But he'd been too hazed to even notice before. Now reality was finally overtaking the initial shock. The injured skin twitched painfully, and he slowly raised a hand to his brow.

His face, which he had always been rather proud of, was horribly marred. Half the skin was burned away or falling off. It itched unbearably -but he didn't dare touch the bandages. He all but refused to take them off. The nurses nearly had to sedate him the first time they needed to clean the wound.

Bakura hadn't cried in years- sure, he'd dropped a tear or two when he was punched hard enough, but not real tears. He could feel himself starting to shake, and he knew he was breaking down. But despite how wretched he felt, full of pain inside and out; he still couldn't sob. He was suffering and yet he couldn't even cry or scream. His voice was gone.

The flames had taken that away from him as well.

Already bitter with the world, the suffering teen became extremely hostile- his only friends were the other punks he sometimes hung out with, and he knew they would never visit. Not so long as there was a chance that they could be accused of being somehow involved in the incident.

As for his family... his father had abandoned his mother years ago. And although his mother tried her best, she was never the parenting type.

He'd ended up being shunted from foster homes to orphanages to institutions- no matter what he did, he was always sent away. Over the years, he decided to just do whatever he wanted- might as well, right? At least this way he had something to explain why he was being shoved off- he had beaten a kid up, he was failing school, he was damaging property- yadda yadda. The excuses lessened the pain of being unwanted.

Thirteen days into his stay, the young patient was lying quietly, staring at the ceiling and wondering why his life sucked so damn much.

There was a soft knock on the door. Bakura groaned as he prepared to take more of those f****** pills. He hated having to swallow those giant capsules. They didn't seem to be doing much for his recovery, either, but the bloody-minded nurses insisted. He felt like they resented him, somehow. And admittedly, he was probably right. The nurses weren't exactly amused by the belligerent patient who took up an hour of their time just to take a single antibiotic tablet. So when the door opened, Bakura prepared to rebuff the annoying caregivers.

He was surprised, then, when a boy around his age poked his head around the door.

"Hello? My name is Ryou Bakura- I was told that you signed up for the 'Bedside Buddies' program?"

Bakura was startled at the stranger's appearance- how was it that this random kid could look so much like him?! That pale skin, white hair, and even his name! What was going on here?

The boy noticed Bakura right afterwards, and he gasped in shock. Bakura grimaced- he knew he looked horrific. Even with the bandages covering him there was still some exposed flesh, and vile fluids occasionally seeped through and stained the light-colored wrappings.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare-" Bakura wanted to growl; he hated that forced pity, the excuses from the newer nurses who had jumped at his injuries- "-but I've never seen someone else with white hair before!"

Eh?

The patient nearly sweatdropped. Was this kid serious? The first thing he noticed was his _hair_? Not the hideous, obvious trauma covering his face?!

"Yours seems to have a slightly darker sheen than mine, though- it's rather exotic! Did anyone else in your family have pale hair? We have no idea where mine came from; everyone else has very normal hair-"

Bakura's left eye twitched as the kid prattled on and on. What the hell was this runt's deal?

"Oops, my apologies; I didn't realize I was talking so much." The boy rubbed the back of his neck, abashed. He suddenly stopped. "Oh! And I didn't even get your name! They only told me the room number- can I ask who you are and why you signed up for the program?"

Bakura glared. This brat was really starting to get on his nerves. His 'happy-happy-joy-joy' attitude and his non-stop prattling was pissing him off.

"Um, I'm sorry, but I really don't know your name- the computer downstairs is down so they only had your room number..." The other white-haired teen trailed off, sounding a little more nervous.

Bakura pointed to his throat and then to the door.

"Huh? Oh!" The highly pale cheeks flushed with pink. "Oh, I'm so sorry; that was rude of me to assume that you could start talking. I've never actually done this program before."

Bakura pointed again to the door. What did it take for this moron to get a bloody clue?!

"The door?"

Bakura nodded. 'Finally! This runt of a clone is a real pain in the- wait, why wasn't he leaving?'

"Bakura- Touzokou."

The little blighter was only reading his name plate! _Motherf_ -

"Wow, we even share part of our names!"

Oh no, _another_ thing for the brat to talk about. Great.

How the hell was he going to get rid of this damned pest?

Bakura was starting to consider pressing the panic button, but hesitated when the boy stepped further into the room.

"So... how long have you had heart problems? A year? More?"

The fu- heart problems?! Was this little idiot so damned stupid that he couldn't see his face?!

That did it, and he pressed the panic button. Although it gave off a low, steady 'beep' noise, the twerp didn't seem to think anything of it.

The boy was still waiting for an answer (although _how_ he expected one, Bakura couldn't fathom) when one of the younger nurses came in.

"Can I help you?"

Ryou tilted his head forward in a short bow. "Hello, my name is Ryou- I'm here for the 'Bedside Buddies' program?"

The dark-haired nurse looked confused. "May I see your information sheet?"

Ryou pulled out a typed permission form with guidelines attached.

The nurse gave a light laugh and smiled. "I'm afraid you're supposed to be in 214, not 314. Mr. Touzokou has never signed up for the 'Bedside Buddies' program."

"Oh!" The younger man blushed slightly as he realized the mix-up. "Oh dear, I seem to have the wrong room." Ryou stood up and bowed again to Bakura. "I'm sorry to have bothered you- pardon me!" The boy smiled and stepped back into the hallway. "Please take care!"

His footsteps faded down the hall.

Bakura snorted. 'What kind of idiot can't even figure out what floor he's on?'

That 'Ryou' kid was a naive pest.

Of course, that had been the most exciting thing to happen all week.

...Damn, he needed to get out of here.


	2. Accidental Angel

It was around two in the afternoon the next day, when Bakura heard another knock on his door. The teen glared at the unwelcome disturbance. He had just had his bandages (painfully) changed, and was already in a nasty mood. It seemed like the staff were constantly barging in- giving him shots, giving him pills, or messing with his wrappings. He really didn't care what they wanted from him right now- he just wanted to be left alone. No doctors, no nurses, no lost patients- nothing. The door slowly opened a few inches.

Instead of a sterile lab coat or a drab hospital gown, Bakura saw a pair of plain blue jeans and a light blue shirt.

"Hello?"

He tensed at that voice.

'Oh, hell no...'

Just as he thought, the voice belonged to that weird kid from yesterday. He watched apprehensively as the small face popped in from behind the door. Bright, chocolate-brown eyes seemed to shine from underneath the intruder's long, white bangs.

"Bakura Touzokou? I don't know if you remember me, but I accidentally came in here yesterday, and I wanted to apologize for leaving so soon- I had to find my assigned 'Bedside Buddy' before visiting hours ended. I hope that wasn't rude of me." He gave a small bow of apology.

'Fine. Whatever. Just GO!' But Bakura still couldn't scream at the idiot- he could only glower.

He knew his own dark stare was enough- it greatly enhanced his blood-red eyes and his sharp features. He'd made grown men shiver with just that glare.

But the stubborn brat didn't even flinch. The street fighter was baffled. Then he remembered the bandages- they were probably warping his expression.

...great.

"And I brought you something- I noticed that the ward doesn't have many magazines- I guess it's to lower the risk of infection?"

Just as he finished the sentence, the younger boy's eyes widened in anxiety. He began waving his hands frantically in front of his chest.

"Oh! B-but don't worry! I disinfected these just like the nurse told me to. But you probably shouldn't share them with anyone until they've been cleaned again."

The ward did have a few magazines, but they were all health care titles; very old and very boring. Even if Bakura had his own health insurance, he doubted he would give a rat's *ss about 'different benefit packages.' He'd only flipped through two of them before giving them back to the nurses.

The 'pal-ly' kid (or whatever he was called) lifted a heavy paper bag onto the small side-table next to the patient's bed. Bakura's glare still didn't dampen the other teen's enthusiasm.

"I wasn't sure what you would like, so I got a few of the popular ones." He smiled. "My neighbor works at this bookstore, so she gets a discount on everything."

The mute punk frowned. Normally, he would've cursed and threatened the kid until he ran out of the ward, screaming. Bakura wouldn't be caught dead hanging around with such a doormat at school or on the street.

But still, he couldn't deny the fact that it was getting really, _really_ d*mn boring in the vapid and sterile dwelling that was Room #314. He took a moment to stare at the drab, white walls and the barely-functioning tv.

'...crap.'

Bakura then reluctantly reached into the bag. He couldn't imagine what kind of stuff the goody-goody nerd considered 'popular.'

The directionally-challenged 'buddy' watched happily as the other teen took out issue after issue. At first Bakura was completely irritated- who the hell their age read 'Time' and 'National Geographic'?! He wished he could give the kid a piece of his mind. Or maybe even his fist.

But a few layers down he found several more interesting titles, like 'WIRED' and 'Car & Driver.' He pulled out a few more ('Popular Science,' 'Puzzlers Monthly,' 'MAD') when he saw a very interesting cover. There was a beautiful woman on the front, covered in more tattoos than clothing. The title read 'INKED' and it seemed to feature different tattoo artists and art.

"Oh, sorry; that one's for me-" The boy grabbed the tattoo magazine with a slight blush.

For the first time since he met the runt, Bakura found himself curious. Why would such a prim and proper dweeb be interested in a magazine about tattooing?

He paused for a moment, his incredulity and boredom pushing his irritation out of the way.

'What the hell; I'm not doing anything else today.'

Bakura pointed to Ryou, then to the magazine.

"Hm?" Ryou took a moment to realize what the burn victim was (not) saying. "Oh, the magazine... I-" He hesitated a little, his face regaining that faint flush. "I... really like tattoos. I just love the artwork and the fact that it's on a living, breathing canvas." His eyes suddenly seemed to sparkle with passion. "I mean, when else does an artist have a canvas that can put meaning into those words and images? What other kind of canvas can choose and wear those specific images for the rest of their life?"

Bakura's frown lessened a bit. This kid had a really weird way of putting it, but what he said made sense- somewhat.

"I also love looking at websites with tattoos on them- there's some really beautiful ones that focus on the more intricate designs. They even have websites for international shows and contests! I'd love to go to one sometime." The pale visitor giggled. "But then there's the humorous sites where people post pictures of tattoo 'fails'- you know, like a tattoo of Spongebob hitting a bong that looks like it was done by a 5-year old?"

Bakura smirked at that image. That sounded like a site he would actually check out himself.

"I mean, can you imagine having to explain that to your grandkids one day?" Ryou's eyes danced with amusement.

Bakura felt the wispiest trace of a laugh growing in his throat, but he couldn't vocalize it.

As Ryou reached for another magazine, his left wrist came close to his face. He glanced at his wristwatch before jumping in surprise.

"Oh no, I'm late to visit my 'Buddy'!" He quickly stood up. "I have to go, but is it alright if I drop by again tomorrow?"

Bakura paused for a moment- normally he would never have agreed; but this weirdo was the only visitor he'd had. He was starting to get pretty sick of just sitting on the rock-hard bed, doing nothing.

So he shrugged. 'Sure, why not. It's not like I'm going anywhere soon.'

Ryou seemed to understand the silent consent. "Ok, see you tomorrow, Bakura!"

Bakura frowned- he hadn't given the twerp permission to use his first name. He sighed as the kid left. 'Whatever.'

He began flipping through the magazines- it was nice to finally have something appealing to read.

Bakura was glancing over the newest 'MAD' magazine when another nurse came in with more pills. He wasn't pleased with the intrusion, but for once he didn't give her the death-glare.

He continued reading late into the night, until the same nurse came by to turn off the lights. He slipped under the starchy sheets and fell into a quiet slumber.

The next day, Bakura wasn't surprised to see the white-haired nuisance knocking on his door.

But this time Bakura's usual flash of irritation was slightly dulled. The room's tv was cr*p, and at least he wouldn't end up staring at the ceiling for the next two hours (it was a flat, plain _white_ , for crying out loud!).

He sat up a little more and made a lazy 'come in' motion with his hand.

Ryou smiled as he stepped in the room. He had a rather worn knapsack slung over his shoulders.

"Hello, Bakura! I hope you're doing better today."

All he got was a shrug, but the boy didn't seem to mind. In fact, the 'Buddy' volunteer seemed particularly bouncy today. Bakura held back a sense of foreboding. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all...

The younger teen took the old backpack off of his shoulders and began riffling through it.

"So, I found something last week when I was digging through my video game stuff- this is my dad's old cell phone."

Bakura stared. The phone was very thick and obviously very old. Possibly older than him.

"It's kind of broken- it doesn't make calls, or receive them. I doubt he'd mind if you kept it- he was planning on recycling it anyway."

The look on Bakura's face was priceless.

'A phone that doesn't make phone calls. Gee, thanks.'

Ryou noticed the look, but he only grinned a bit wider.

" _But_ , you can still text on it- you can't send anything to anyone, but it can work as a crude keyboard- see?"

Ryou took the phone back and began typing a rough message. /Testing one two three./ He gave the phone back to Bakura.

"This way you can tell people stuff, and it's faster than writing it out!"

Bakura's eyes widened. This was actually a pretty useful gift.

"The nurses won't let you keep a regular cell phone, but I asked Miss Hanasaki if you could have this one." He seemed to pout for a moment. "She looked it over for half an hour, and kept asking if it worked or not. I think she was messing with me."

Bakura was glad to find that he could still give a faint snorting noise. That seemed like something the purple-haired girl would do. That nurse was a complete ditz.

"But in the end she decided it was o.k., so long as you don't try to hook it up to a carrier." Ryou pointed to the phone's keyboard. "Do you know how to type?"

Bakura quickly tapped the buttons. /No. I don't. Not at all/.

Ryou giggled. "What a shame, I guess I'll have to bring you something easier, like a typewriter."

/Why did your dad even have this old brick?/

Ryou laughed again and took a seat on a hard, white chair. "My dad's one of those 'save the Earth' fanatics- he likes to recycle everything. But he had trouble finding a place that would take this phone. It's so old they weren't even sure what metals were in it!"

/Fail/.

When the snickering died down, Ryou turned his gaze to the patient's good eye before speaking.

"So, do you go to a local school?"

/Domino High/.

"I've never been there- is it big?"

Bakura shrugged. /I guess. It's public/.

"Are the teachers decent?"

/Some are. The rest are assholes/.

Ryou blushed at the curse word but didn't say anything.

"Do you know what you want to do when you graduate?"

Bakura thought for a moment. He had no idea, so he just made up some cr*p.

/I wanna be rich. And famous. Maybe a rock star/.

"Oh wow!" Ryou seemed genuinely impressed. "Do you play any instruments?"

/Nope/.

Ryou 's giggling was almost contagious, and Bakura's sides twitched very slightly.

The other boy leaned forward in the plastic chair. "I'd like to be a botanical researcher, myself."

"..." Bakura didn't need to type or speak this time

"Oh, that's when somebody studies plants for a living- what effects forest fires are having on wild grasses, what invasive insects are threatening trees, how poisonous plants are evolving, ect."

/Fascinating/. Bakura's face echoed the sarcasm in his text.

But Ryou pouted (in what was no doubt meant to be an angry look, but only came off as adorable). "Hey, it's not like being an astronaut, but it's still important- you can't eat vegetables that aren't protected from insects and rot, right?"

/I don't eat vegetables/.

"Ever?! But-but how do you stay healthy?"

/I quit smoking/.

This time, the visitor wasn't sure if the inpatient was joking or not.

There was a sudden beeping noise, and Ryou quickly pulled out a newer cell phone from his right pocket.

"Oops, excuse me; I have to take this- Hello?" The boy walked into the hallway.

After a few moments of hushed talking, Ryou stepped back into the room.

"I'm afraid I have to go for the day- I need to run some errands for my father."

The visiting teen quickly packed up his backpack and started to leave.

"Oh! I almost forgot-" he quickly handed Bakura a long, black cord- "this is the charger! I don't know how long the battery lasts, but you might want to keep this within reach. See you Friday?"

Bakura nodded before he really thought about his answer. He lifted up his head, but the door closed and he knew the boy was gone.

The bandaged hoodlum shook his head in annoyance. Yes, the kid was a class-A swot, and he looked like a 12-year old girl. But unless they suddenly decided to build an arcade down the hall (which was highly unlikely)... that confused 'Buddy' volunteer might be the only thing that would amuse him.

And if he was really going to be here, in this hellhole, for several weeks... it might be better to let the little dork hang out with him.

For now.


	3. Learning to Share

The black-haired nurse knocked on the door of room 314. She was carrying a covered plastic tray. "Bakura Touzokou? It's lunchtime. And I have tomorrow's menu."

The bandaged-covered face twisted in a scowl. The nurses always brought a menu for him to choose his next meals. They consisted of various 'healthy' choices, and the patients were encouraged to order whatever they liked from the list.

This, according to Bakura, was like asking if he preferred garbage or trash for breakfast. The food was healthy and horrible (two fully interchangeable terms, in Bakura's opinion). But worst of all, he still wasn't allowed anything 'difficult to swallow.'

Which included meat. _All_ meat.

Which was pretty much the only thing he ever ate. Until they made a salad entirely out of bacon, he wasn't touching those soggy, flavorless leaves. He wanted something red and rare... like his absolute favorite: steak. Juicy, fresh, tender steak...

"Bakura-san? Are you alright? You're drooling a little."

The burned teen quickly rubbed a sleeve across his mouth.

F*ck, he'd kill for a steak right now.

Wednesday and Thursday went by with nothing worth noting.

But the next day, to his surprise, the kid came back.

This time the smaller teen had brought with several older issues of 'INKED.' Bakura was curious enough to see the tattoos, and consented to look over the magazines with the 'buddy.'

Bakura had to admit, the magazines were fairly interesting. The large, colored pictures showcased some very impressive works. As they flipped through the pages, Ryou pointed out his favorites. Oddly, he seemed to prefer the more graphic pieces. Bakura soon voiced- or rather, 'typed'- his confusion.

/Why do you like the gory ones so much?/

"Eh? Oh!" Ryou shrugged with a light smile. "I guess it's because of the way that an artist can make something beautiful out of the macabre- not to mention it takes considerable talent to pull something like _this_ off." He pointed to a torso picture of a very realistic zipper opening to reveal a shockingly life-like eyeball. "I mean, anyone can do a tribal tramp-stamp or a heart with 'John' written in it- but it takes real skill to make something like  that look good."

There it was again- that strange, ridiculous logic that somehow didn't sound so crazy. Bakura was still pondering why this kid was so weird when they came across a new article.

 _'_ _All Eyes on the Latest Fad._ _'_

Bakura felt his stomach lurch in shock- the article was all about tattooing people's _eyeballs._

Ryou didn't seem to notice the queasy look on the patient's face. "This is a rather new technique- there's still not a lot of evidence as to how safe it is, and the artwork often looks rather squished..."

Bakura looked away, swallowing heavily.

Ryou finally caught on.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea." The boy apologized as he quickly took a different magazine from the stack. "I think traditional locations are more attractive anyway."

Bakura was eager to change the subject to anything not involving needles or eyeballs (or any combination of the two). He started typing, fast.

/Why did you decide to volunteer?/

Ryou smiled. "I wanted some activities to put on my college resume; and my sister and I were here once. It was very painful, and I really needed a friend. One of the nurses was really nice, and she helped me a lot. Otherwise I would've been alone."

/Why didn't you talk to your sister?/

Ryou lowered his head so his face was covered by his milky bangs.

"My mother died at the scene of the accident. My sister followed a few days later."

Crimson eyes blinked in shock. Bakura had no idea how to respond to that statement, so he just typed- /Sorry./

Ryou's eyes seemed watery, but he gave a shaky smile. "Thanks. It's hard sometimes, but they wouldn't want me to be sad, right?"

Once again Bakura found himself intrigued by the visitor's graceful honesty.

/I guess so./

This time it was Ryou who changed the subject.

"So, what kind of movies do you like?"

Bakura typed out some action and horror titles (with a few SCI-FI and comedy titles mixed in). His visitor was delighted to find that they shared some of the same favorites, and they 'talked' right up until the end of visiting hours. The cheerful volunteer left, but promised to drop in again on Monday- if that was alright. To which the patient quickly agreed.

"Bye, Bakura!"

Bakura watched him leave, and he was startled to realize that he was _almost_ looking forward to the next visit.

Three days later, Ryou was back, and he surprised Bakura by bringing in an old, portable DVD-player. Ryou had hidden it in his backpack (he hadn't forgotten Ms. Hanasaki) and together they watched some of the movies they'd talked about last Friday.

Bakura didn't comment much (he felt a little guilty since he had to shove the phone in Ryou's face just to get his attention) and Ryou tried to be quietly polite in return. But he couldn't resist commenting when they got to one of his absolute favorites: 'John Carpenter's 'The Thing''.

"The effects in this one have really held up well over the years, haven't they?" The smaller boy gushed in appreciation. "I mean, this is from 1982, and yet it looks phenomenal- they apparently combined stop-motion animation, hydraulics, and even puppetry to make the effects. Heck, I think it's better than most CGI horror films of today."

The kindly volunteer seemed to have a certain reverence for the monster effects.

The inpatient held back a snort of disbelief. 'A real paradox, this one.'

They continued the 'monster movie' marathon until visiting hours ended. It was odd for the pale volunteer to stay that late, but Bakura didn't comment. Instead, he just nodded his agreement for another visit, and waved the visitor off.

An hour later, Bakura was still lying on his bed, just musing to himself. He was feeling slightly less irritated than usual- mainly due to the entertainment Ryou had provided. A faint grin crossed the un-bandaged half of Bakura's face. Hopefully next time they could watch the "Saw" series- he had to admit, the nerdy bookworm had some good films. He felt a vague flicker of anticipation as he wondered what other DVD's the twerp could bring- he couldn't help but feel a little optimistic about-

knock knock. "Bakura-kun? It's dinner time. There's an extra serving of cabbage for you- doctor's orders!"

...nevermind.

Another week passed, and Ryou visited twice. He always tried to bring something interesting (a comic book, a puzzle game, etc.) that he could leave behind. His visits were also starting to become more regular ("It's between exam times," the devoted student explained).

Bakura was rather annoyed with how ridiculously devoted the other teen was to his classwork. He wasn't sure if Ryou's school was private or public; but he was pretty sure that either of those would've sucked had he gone anyway. He'd been tossed through so many school districts over the years that he didn't have a damn clue where he was ('supposed to be') enrolled.

But, of course, the little nerd was totally addicted to school, and he acted like every homework assignment was the difference between the good fortune of the gods, and falling into a bottomless pit of scum and shame.

Still, they didn't talk about school-type trash that often. Instead they usually spent their time talking/typing about random junk. Soon the street hood was inadvertently telling his white-haired 'buddy' more and more about himself. Ryou didn't seem nearly as judgmental as most of the people from the 'other side of the tracks.' Bakura even admitted that one of his deepest desires was to have a vast knife collection featuring blades from all over the world and from all time periods.

Most people would've been very nervous to hear those ideas coming from the burned brawler, but Ryou was excited. He asked if there were any specific styles that Bakura wanted to find, and how he would want them displayed.

Soon they had painted together a rather amusing fantasy of a massive mansion with walls completely covered with decorative blades. Ryou had suggested that the toilet handles be replaced with antique silver butter knives, while Bakura joked that the ceiling fans should each be made up of four large, flattened scimitars. Neither boy seemed to realize just how much they were enjoying the conversation until a red-haired nurse knocked on the door.

"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over for today- they start again tomorrow at noon."

Ryou nodded at the nurse and said his goodbyes to the other pale-skinned teen. The bandaged punk waved him off before he realized that Ryou obviously wasn't going to visit his real 'buddy' now.

'Probably saw him before coming to my room.' The red-eyed patient frowned in confusion- how was it that the nerd had time to visit both residents?

Bakura's mind unwillingly drifted to one of his most subconscious concerns- _what would the bookworm do when he inevitably had to shave down his_ _schedule_ _for_ _his_ _exams?_

It was around 4 AM and Bakura was struggling not to wake up. He still found sleeping difficult (what with the whole 'breathing through a burned trachea' thing). It didn't take much to disrupt him.

And now he could hear two nurses talking right outside his door. Why the _hell_ were they standing around chatting loudly outside his room at this bloody hour?! He was trying to sleep, dammit!

His door was slightly ajar and he could clearly hear their remarks- they seemed to be taking notes on different patients' rooms.

"Ok, number 314- 'Bakura Touzokou.'"

"Isn't he that cocky little street-urchin who gives all the doctors hell?"

Bakura flipped her off from behind the door, but of course she couldn't see him.

"Doesn't that sweet, white-haired kid like him, though? I've seen him sign in at least twice this week."

The other woman shook her head. "I doubt it- I think he was just assigned to him by that 'Bedside Buddies' program."

"But his assigned patient was in room 214, remember? He got mixed up the first day he was here."

"Oh, that's right- hmm, they're not related, are they?"

The first nurse sniffed. "I doubt it- that boy's an angel. Remember that time he helped find that lost little girl from the cardio ward?"

"Oh yes... that was very smart thinking. I would never have thought to look for her in the exam room."

There was a pause, and Bakura imagined the first girl nodding her head. "Neither would I; most kids hate that room. Why was she in there, anyway?"

The other nurse laughed. "Apparently she wanted to be 'doctor for a day' and he found her playing with a stethoscope. So he played 'patient' for her until we were able to set up her appointed room."

"That's adorable!"

Bakura nearly snorted at the image. He could just picture Ryou in a hospital gown- a thin, paper gown- a thin, very short paper gown- with the ties on the back not fully... he was jolted out of his thoughts by the other nurse's reply.

She seemed to titter before speaking. "Well, apparently a lot of the younger nurses think so, too- I heard a rumor that Ms. Hanasaki is dying to ask him out. She's been forcing him to spend more time with her by holding him up at the sign-in desk." The woman put on a fake, high-pitched tone. "'Oops, I've lost my pen; could you help me find it?' or 'Oh no, this reference book is too heavy for me- can someone help me carry it?'"

Bakura subconsciously balled his hands into fists.

"She's not having much luck, though. He seems completely oblivious. Either that, or he's trying to reject her as politely as possible."

The fists unclenched with the same unawareness.

"So who is the boy's actual 'Buddy?' I can't remember who's in 214 right now."

There was a rustling of paper and Bakura figured she was looking through the charts.

"That's probably because there isn't anyone in 214. In fact, the previous occupant was discharged over a week ago."

"That's odd... so, who is his 'Buddy' now? Hasn't he been assigned to someone else?"

"It doesn't look like it- in fact, the program isn't even looking for new volunteers. They must be over-staffed now that all the universities are on break."

Bakura blinked. Was Ryou coming back every week- just because of him?

"Strange... well, it's nice having him around- even if he only spends time with that snotty punk."

So Ryou was at the hospital every week to visit with him... and only him.

And Ryou also didn't seem to want to go out with that dim-witted nurse.

What the hell was it about those two facts make him feel so damn pleased?


	4. Frivolous Foreigners

Ch. 4- Frivolous Foreigners

Some type of bad infection was running through the burn ward. Bakura heard one of the nurses call it 'staff' or something- all the doctors and their assistants sounded nervous. Everyone was on edge, There were a lot of 'temporary protocol adjustments'- or as Bakura preferred to call them- 'shitty annoyances.' Some of the more vulnerable patients were put in the ISO unit, and all the rooms were cleaned more often and thoroughly. They even took his magazines away, which really pissed him off. Bakura expected to get them back later, but he knew it wasn't likely. The hospital was apparently competing against the local airliners when it came to losing the highest number of personal items (foolishly) entrusted to them.

Naturally, the stringent safety measures meant that all visitors were barred as well. The white-haired 'buddy' pest hadn't been able to visit in three days. Bakura was actually starting to miss the little bother. He would never have thought that the nerdy pain-in-the-neck would be such good company.

Almost a week went by before the restrictions were lifted. Bakura was a little bewildered at how grateful he felt when he finally saw that white hair poking around his door again.

Ryou apologized for not being able to visit, but Bakura waved him off. He was just glad his sole visitor was here now (although he didn't type it). But Ryou clearly hadn't forgotten about the bedridden teen, and during the week-long 'break' the teen managed to find an old-school GameBoy system, along with some classic games. Not totally sure if the device was allowed, Ryou snuck everything in his backpack (which rather impressed the delinquent patient; he didn't think the saint-like volunteer would bend the rules more than once).

It wasn't a PS4, but Bakura still enjoyed playing the old-time hits like Tetris and Mario Bros. Unfortunately, this would cut into his time previously reserved for staring at the bland ceiling for hours. Ryou was very amused when he typed this thought out for him. He laughed a bit, and Bakura felt his own sides tremble slightly. The boy had a weird sense of humor; but then again, so did Bakura.

They were an odd pair, but somehow they clicked.

Another two days had passed, and Bakura was still stuck in room 314, with no clearance to leave the burn ward. He had just finished his lunch when there was a very loud, fast series of knocks on his door.

Bakura put down the magazine he had _(finally)_ gotten back. He frowned at the entryway.

Ryou would never pound on the wooden surface like that- but neither would any of the nurses.

"Hey, _Bakura_ _aa_! You alive in there?!"

His eyes widened in disbelief. 'Oh, _bloody_ hell.'

The door swung open, revealing two tanned figures with wild, golden hair.

A loud voice screeched joyfully. _ **"Bakura**_ _ **aaaa**_ _ **!"**_ __

The so-named patient promptly felt himself being smushed by a bronzed body.

'The f*ck- _Malik_?! _Marik_?!' The white-haired teen's eyes bugged out as he processed the sudden intrusion.

The shorter blonde didn't take being ignored well.

"Helloooo-? Bakura? You in there?" He began rapping the resident's head with his tan knuckles.

The pale teen angrily swatted the hand away, and pointed at his throat.

"Eh?" The two dark-skinned intruders looked at one another in puzzlement.

Unable to curse, the burn victim grabbed the old phone and quickly typed out the obvious.

/I can't talk. Now the f*ck are you two doing here?!/

"We're _visiting_ you, duh!"

"..." Bakura wasn't sure what to think. /Why?/

Malik frowned. "Bakura, you know we wanted to visit- we just didn't know where they'd taken you! It's not like we were there that night- no one we found remembered the name on the side of the ambulance. And every time we called the local hospitals they just told us that unless we were 'related to the inpatient' we could just go suck a-"

Bakura ignored the younger thug's voice. Had they really been looking for him? He knew they hung out often, but to be actually thought of as a friend... why did that sound so odd?

Marik scoffed, "I told you, Malik-dear, we should have pretended that we're triplets."

...Maybe that was why he hadn't really thought of them as comrades before. When they weren't acting (correction: more than acting) insane, they were senseless nitwits.

The loud duo was interrupted by a soft knock, and a new voice sounded from outside the door.

"Hello? Bakura? I'm afraid I'm a little early today- can I come in?"

He had totally forgotten to call a nurse and tell them to warn Ryou not to stop in today.

'Oh, cr*p.'

The white haired boy stepped into the room, but halted when he saw the two strange men. He then walked in slowly, with a slightly subdued look. With his thin frame and wide, doe-brown eyes, he looked just like a startled fawn.

"Hello~ and who is this?" Marik gave a devilish grin as he stepped forward and lightly took Ryou's hand. Both Malik and Bakura glared at the taller blonde.

"Um, m-m-my name is Ryou." The pale volunteer's eyes widened at the tall, powerful man currently holding his hand. The muscular foreigner was quite imposing; and the fairish boy was clearly uncomfortable.

"Ryou~" The exotic Egyptian softly repeated the name. "My name is Marik."

Before anyone could object, Marik brought the pale hand up to his lips and kissed the top of Ryou's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, snowflake~"

Voice or no voice, Bakura was damned if he was going to let Marik get away with scaring his poor Ryou.

'Wait, _what_?  Mine? ...whatever.'

There weren't exactly a lot of weapons in the room, so Bakura improvised.

Marik was still absorbed with the smallest visitor. The stronger man seemed to purr as he spoke.

"And why would a charming sweetheart such as yourself be visiting the room of a bast- HEY!"

Malik snickered as the pillow hit its target. True, it wasn't a cinder block (like Bakura would have preferred have thrown) but it was still effective.

Marik dropped Ryou's hand and snapped at the mute teen.

"Bakura, what the h*ll?!"

Bakura glared at him with his arms crossed. He'd known Marik long enough to figure out his personality.

Marik was a professional playboy. He had seduced nearly every gay or bi teenager in town- and a good deal from out of town. In fact, aside from himself, Ryou, and Malik; Bakura couldn't think of a single guy Marik _hadn't_ slept with.

And he sure as hell wasn't going to let him try and add Ryou to that list- he knew how Marik treated his lovers. Once the initial lust died down, he lost interest faster than a toddler treats an old toy. His unofficial 'policy' was the stereotypical 'love 'em and leave 'em.'

But Bakura wasn't the only one giving the infamous man-whore the evil eye. Malik was glaring at the tease as well, although for a completely different reason.

Bakura knew that his other bronzed friend was completely obsessed with the depraved pervert (though he could never fathom _why_ ).

It was almost pathetic, watching the two spend nearly every moment together- cripes, they were even sharing an apartment, for f*ck's sake! -and yet, somehow, nothing ever happened. Bakura already gave up trying to understand those two half-crazed queens years ago.

Now that Marik was sensibly leaving Ryou alone, Bakura noticed that Malik looked considerably more relaxed.

"Erm, so you t-two are friends of Bakura's?" Ryou bravely tried to break the silence.

Malik grinned (a little alarmingly, Ryou thought) and grabbed one of Bakura's shoulders.

"Yep! We've been friends for years!" He began wrapping his arms around the fuming patient in an overly-dramatic hug. "We've been together through thick and thin!" Malik made a fist and rapped Bakura's skull. "See? He's got a thick head, and I've got a thin figure!"

Bakura snarled and tried to shove him away, but the crazy blonde only hugged him tighter.

"Aww, c'mon Bakura; you know we love you!"

Ryou couldn't help but giggle at the sight- it was too much. Bakura rolled his eyes, but didn't do anything. He was used to this sort of ribbing from the non-native nutcases.

Already bored, Marik wandered out of the room, mumbling something about finding a drinking fountain.

"Say, Ryou," Malik suddenly spoke up, "what do you use for your hair?" The younger of the Egyptian duo stalked over to the white-haired visitor. "It's _gorgeous_!"

Ryou was taken aback by the praise- he wasn't used to dealing with such excessively extroverted people. "Um, y-you mean like shampoo? I use Slim n' Silk- it's nice."

"And?"

The paler teen blinked in confusion. "...um, 'and' what?"

"Conditioner, Exfoliater, Mousse, Gel, Creme, Lightener, Vitamins- products, I'm talking products!"

The bronzed teen was waving his arms in the air like a spastic bird.

This time it was Bakura's turn to (silently) snicker- he could tell by Ryou's face that he didn't know what half of those things were.

"I... I use a brush and a hairdryer? After I've rinsed, of course."

"..." Malik's right eye was twitching slightly, and his jaw was hanging loose in an unbalanced gape.

Ryou squeaked as the other teen suddenly ran a bronzed hand through the white strands on the back of his neck.

"You mean to tell me that you have this divine head of beautiful locks and you only use _basic_ _shampoo_?!"

Ryou was still a little intimidated, and he nodded nervously. "Well, yes... I mean, Slim n' Silk is a fairly nice shampoo... I've used it for years. H-have you ever tried it? Not every store carries it, but I think you can buy it online..."

Malik instantly removed his hand from the pale visitor's hair. He ran towards the half-closed door.

Without any preface, the blonde threw the door open and stuck his head out. He looked up and down the main hallway.

" _ **Marik!**_ _"_ Malik flat-out  yelled down the hall. " **Get your honey-ass in here! I need your phone!** "

" **Why?!** " There was an equally loud response from somewhere by the nurses' station.

" **Because** **I want Ryou's hair!** "

Bakura slapped the undamaged half of his forehead with one palm. _WHY_ hadn't he called a nurse to kick them out?!

He didn't know how those two managed to get into the ward- but he knew how they would be leaving.

Sure enough, the blondes were soon escorted out by no fewer than four security guards (two of whom looked more amused than the others).

Ryou said 'good bye' as they were led past the room, and he waved while he watched them get pushed into the elevator. The well-behaved teen couldn't help but smile in confused amusement. The blondes were deviants, no doubt; but they were also immaturely energetic and playful.

He wouldn't mind seeing them again- although perhaps the mall or movies would be a better base than a quiet hospital ward.


	5. Studies in Serenity

Bakura growled as the doctor carefully removed another layer of gauze. The antiseptic wrappings weren't coming off easily. They were heavily stained and occasionally pinched as they were separated from the skin- which made it a painfully slow process.

The black-haired doctor continued his ministrations. "We're almost done with the removal."

The irritated teen winced- it felt very odd when the bandages unraveled. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. He hated how often they had to do this- he'd been promised that the number of daily 'cleanings' would go down as he healed. But so far the damned doctors had kept up the same schedule. He scowled in frustration.

There was one bright spot, though- Ryou said he'd be able to come in today. The high-ranking student hadn't been coming in as often. Apparently they were nearing mid-term exams at his school, and he had this compulsive need to study _everything_.

Bakura snorted as he remembered how crazily serious the swot had sounded when he talked about the upcoming tests. He was such a nerd.

But the white-haired teen's musings were soon scattered by the doctor's businesslike tone.

"Things appear to be healing nicely- your body seems to have fought off any potential infection. You'll likely be free to visit other areas of the hospital soon- perhaps even the rear courtyard."

The young burn victim paused as he worked up the courage to type out a request.

/Can I look./

The doctor hesitated. "If you're certain, then yes. I have a mirror on my cart."

The professional grabbed a square mirror off the top of the cart and handed it to the patient.

Bakura held the mirror up with shaking hands. For the first time in months, he stared at his own face.

It was more horrific than he could have imagined.

The mangled, discolored flesh was so bloated it was oozing and bleeding and peeling-

He ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. He leaned over the open toilet, heaving violently while struggling not to think about what he just saw. He came out several minutes later, his stomach still churning.

The doctor continued the examination like nothing had happened. Bakura eventually let his mind wander, avoiding any thoughts regarding his face. He was just wondering what time it was when he saw the clock on the wall. To his horror, he remembered that Ryou was supposed to come by in a few minutes. He frantically tried to get the doctor to re-cover his injuries. But the doctor ignored his unintelligible motions and continued the examination.

"Bakura?"

There was only one person on Earth who had a voice that soft and sweet.

' _Sh*t!_ ' Bakura braced himself for the inevitable screams and panic.

…

…

...okayyy... so... where were the screams and panic-?

Ryou was still standing just outside the doorway. He had a clear view of Bakura's open lesions but didn't react in any way.

"Excuse me, doctor? Can I come in?"

The technician frowned. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait until I'm done here."

Ryou nodded politely. "Ok- I'll go wait in the lobby."

There was a faint clang! as one of the smaller metal tools fell from the examination table. It rolled right near the younger boy's feet, and he deftly picked it up and handed it to the doctor.

The doctor's frown lifted somewhat. "Thanks."

Bakura was baffled- why didn't Ryou run out of there the second he could? Why wasn't he repelled by his gruesome appearance?! _Hell,_ the boy had been _told_ _to_ _get out_ and he _still_ stayed behind just to pick something up off the floor!

Several painful minutes later, the doctor re-wrapped the bad-tempered patient's face and then left.

A moment later, Ryou stood in the doorway again.

"Can I come in? Or do you need to rest a bit?"

Bakura waved him in, and the white-haired visitor stepped next to the bed.

"That looked like it hurt- do you want me to find a nurse to give you some pain medicine?"

Bakura shook his head, 'No' and began typing on his phone.

Ryou glanced at the screen when it was handed to him.

/Why didn't you scream?/

"Eh?" Ryou titled his head. "Scream? You mean, when I saw your face?"

/No, when you saw Santa Claus- yes when you saw my face!/

Ryou looked mildly amused. "Oh, right; I guess some people might've screamed, yes?"

Bakura's face remained blank. He didn't bother typing a reply; just waited for an explanation.

Ryou put one finger to his lips in thought.

"Well, I do like horror movies a lot, but I think it's also because I was a ridiculously clumsy child. I never had anything serious, like a concussion or broken bones, but I still needed stitches quite a few times." He shrugged casually. "Who knows? It's never been a bother." Ryou then grabbed his backpack and opened it. "Anyway, before I forget- I found this in our storage space. I think it was mine when I was little."

Bakura grinned. /'Was'?/

Ryou stuck out his tongue in an unusual display of annoyance. "Oh shush up- you're not exactly a giant, you know." The patient was about to protest when Ryou pulled a rectangular box out of his book bag and placed it on the bedside table. "It should be complete, but if you don't like puzzles I can take it back home when I leave."

The inpatient looked over the box- it was a bit old, but it showed the picture for a moderately complex jigsaw puzzle. The image on the front showed a wizard in purple robes using a magical staff to fight off a giant, black dragon.

The former 'Buddy' rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "I, erm, used to read a lot of fantasy books."

/Cool- I'll give this a shot. Thanks./

Ryou looked delighted, and shortly launched into a new conversation surrounding a recent scandal at the local school district. Each ward of the hospital was only given a certain number of newspapers every day, and Bakura always had a hard time getting ahold of one (the older patients usually requested them ahead of time, and the nurses certainly weren't inclined to do 'Mr. Touzokou' any favors). So Ryou often talked about whatever was going on 'outside.'

Together they casually rolled over several topics, joking and commenting and occasionally even arguing on their opinions. But both of them were enjoying themselves far more than anyone would ever have predicted.

But unfortunately, not even an hour later, reality rudely interrupted the two teens. Ryou saw the sun setting through the window and reluctantly lifted his cell phone up to his face. He frowned at the screen and sighed. "I'm sorry Bakura; I have to get home and study." The smaller boy started to stand up, clearly not eager to leave.

The mute patient blinked. Before he even knew what he was doing, Bakura reached out his hand and grabbed Ryou's wrist.

The visiting teen paused and looked down. He looked a little flustered. "Erm, Bakura? Is something wrong?"

Bakura pointed to Ryou's backpack, then to the small dresser/desk by the window.

"You- you want me to study here?"

Embarrassed beyond belief, Bakura gave a curt nod.

For once, he was glad he couldn't talk.

"Oh!" Ryou looked rather pleased by the offer. "Well, that should be fine, I think- it's quiet enough. I'm guessing it's ok if I stay and study- at least, until visiting hours are over."

Bakura nodded again, this time a little less awkwardly.

Ryou smiled, but didn't move. Bakura stared in in confusion.

"Um, Bakura? Could- could you maybe let go of my wrist?"

Both of the pale faces were distinctly flushed as they detached.

Soon afterwards, Ryou was set up at the small desk, his books and notes spread across the top.

The room's other occupant was enjoying the simple scene. Oddly enough, it felt... nice. Just having someone else in the room; to hear the soft scratching of Ryou's pencil and the quiet flipping of pages- it was very comfortable.

Bakura took out a 'Popular Science' magazine and started to read. He'd already read over that issue several times, and soon his attention started drifting. His eyes began to glance over the pages at the quiet boy studying a few feet away.

Ryou's gentle hair seemed to flow like a soft stream whenever he moved. Every time he turned to write a fresh line, the light strands would fall over his shoulders. They almost seemed to shimmer.

'He's very intriguing...' Bakura hardly noticed the way he was staring, and his brain started to fade from exhaustion. Soon the reclined patient was snoring, lulled to sleep by the tranquility of it all.

There was a very peaceful half hour or so, in which only Bakura's light snores and Ryou's writing could be heard.

Not long afterwards, the sun had fully set, and the student carefully repacked his school bag. Ryou soon left, but not before pulling some of the stiff hospital blankets over the burn patient's torso.

"G'night, Bakura." He turned at the doorway and smiled at the sleeping patient before closing the door. Unbeknownst to the dozing teen, Ryou was looking forward to their next meeting just as much, or possibly even moreso, than Bakura was.


	6. Fascination, Not Obligation

Bakura was actually positive (for once) after his latest visit with Dr. Kiyoshi. He'd officially been given permission to go outside. Not outside of the hospital grounds, of course; but at least he could go downstairs or around the cafeteria. He knew he'd been in the burn ward far too long when going to a cafeteria- one that only served garbage- sounded like _fun_.

Nevertheless, it was a chance to do something different, and he was just deciding when to head out when he heard a strange noise.

"Eep!" There was a flurry of footsteps in the hallway, followed by the sound of the door being opened.

Bakura stared in confusion as a white and blue blur flew through his room towards him.

Ryou frantically whispered in his ear, " _I'm not here!_ " before ducking behind the other side of the bed.

"Ryou-kun?" A girl's voice was calling from the hallway. "Ryou-kun, are you visiting three-fourteen again?"

Bakura scowled- it was that damned nurse, the one who was infatuated with his... his... what were they, anyway? Friends? The inpatient resolved to think on that matter later. Right now there was some tramp pestering his Ryou.

 _'Wait,_ my _ what?'_

Without warning, the perky nurse poked her head into the room. "Is Ryou Bakura in here?"

Bakura just glared. It was rude enough to just barge in and ask something like that, but she _knew_ that he could 't talk. Although she _was_ very ditzy, Bakura still couldn't imagine her actually forgetting what ward she was on.

He was dying to flip her off, but he just glowered and shook his head in a stark 'NO.'

Ms. Hanasaki looked annoyed, but she left without another word. As her footsteps faded, Ryou's head suddenly popped up. He looked around nervously- like a little white rabbit.

"Is she gone?"

It was too comical, and Bakura started 'laughing' (though there were no vocalizations, it was still obvious that he was chuckling).

Ryou's face turned that blush-able pink again. "Oh, like _you_ wouldn't hide if you had her hanging after you like a stubborn squid!"

Bakura gave a silent 'laugh', and then 'laughed' even harder when he saw Ryou's pouting face. It was just too cute to take seriously.

' _Wait, what d_ _id I just-'_

Ryou stood up and lightly brushed his pants off. He gave an annoyed sigh and frowned.

"I had hoped that I'd made myself clear, but unfortunately she doesn't seem to know when to let alone."

The shorter boy shook the thoughts from his head and looked at the patient. "Anyway, how are you today?"

Bakura grinned. /I got full-grounds clearance. We can go anywhere on the property./

Ryou's stomach flipped when he saw that Bakura had typed 'we' and not 'I.' He nodded eagerly.

"That's fantastic! Did you feel like taking a trip down to the cafeteria? I hear they're serving sludge today!"

Bakura snorted as he smirked. Ryou leaned closer to his ear. "You didn't hear this from me," he whispered, "but apparently it's half-price because it's from last year."

Both of the boys' sides were shaking after that.

Ryou waited while Bakura got ready, and they walked out of the room together. They'd both barely stepped into the hallway when they heard a loud squeal.

"Oh Ryou-kun!~"

Both of the white-haired boys had the same thought: _'_ _crap_ _ **.**_ _'_

Reluctantly, the two turned and saw the purple-headed nuisance chasing after them.

The vocal boy politely dipped his head in greeting. "Hello, Ms. Hanasaki."

"Ryou!" Her lilac-colored eyes seemed to radiate over-eagerness. "I've been looking for you! I thought you might want to hear this- the hospital is setting up a new work-program to allow high school students to assist in different duties around the non-restricted floors. And I've been assigned to be the co-coordinator of applications!"

Bakura let out a pointed huff.

The young nurse glared disapprovingly at the mute patient. "You know, the 'Bedside Buddies' might not be looking for more volunteers, but we could always use a helping hand at the desk- copying, filing, typing- it's not terribly exciting, but it looks great on a college resume-" here she gave Bakura a pointed look, "-and it's definitely more... _impressive_ for one's future."

Bakura felt like giving the tactless trollop a piece of his mind, but oddly enough, Ryou beat him to it.

"Thank you for your suggestion, Nurse Hanasaki; but I'm happy with what I'm doing. I'm very busy with my exams coming up, and I just don't have extra time to devote to volunteer work."

The pale lavender-haired girl pulled back slightly in surprise, but then she leaned forward and suggested another solution.

"Maybe you could pare down some of your other... obligations?" She gave Bakura a meaningful stare.

The larger boy's blood was starting to boil. Damn, this harlot refused to quit!

Ryou finally dropped nearly all of his polite demeanor. His voice turned sharp and firm.

"Ms. Hanasaki, you seem to be mistaken. I am not here on behalf of the 'Bedside Buddies' program- I'm here to see my friend."

Two crimson eyes glinted with fervor upon hearing that statement.

The paler boy carried on while the nurse stared blankly. "I don't consider visiting Bakura-san an 'obligation'- I come here because I enjoy spending time with him. I can't commit to a set schedule for clerical assistance; but I can still drop by once in a while during visiting hours."

"But- but- your exams-?" She trailed off pitifully.

Ryou folded his arms, and Bakura was impressed by the stern look on his face. "I always enjoy our visits, and as an RN, I'm guessing you understand the importance of relaxation and handling stress while studying for a higher education?"

"H-hai." Her confidence disappeared, and the pesky girl finally turned and walked off without an apology or farewell.

Ryou shook his head in irritation as she disappeared down the hall. "I thought I'd made it clear that I wasn't interested in the volunteer role... or the 'volunteer co-coordinator'... good grief."

Bakura just blinked.

/That was epic./

The boy turned beet red yet again.

Bakura began to wonder if that wasn't the _real_ shade of Ryou's face, and he just turned pale from the cold very easily.

As they walked on towards the dining floor, Bakura couldn't help but ask a question.

/So, why didn't you want to date that dumb nurse?/

The visiting student seemed to shrink backwards and gave a stuttering laugh. "Um, well, she's not really my type."

The other teen raised an eyebrow. /And what is your type?/

Ryou immediately turned his head away, to the opposite side. Bakura blinked and tapped his shoulder. But the visiting boy just looked even further away.

Bakura didn't want to be as forceful as that damn nurse; but he didn't like the way Ryou was acting. Something was clearly making him anxious. He held the phone up again, the previous message still on-screen.

Ryou was now squirming in discomfort. It took him a minute to mumble out a response.

"Um, well... male."

Bakura blinked, then he lost his composure and started 'mute laughing' again.

Ryou stared in stunned pain as the inpatient silently laughed. Sure, he knew a lot of people were intolerant, but Bakura seemed to be more accepting of the 'subnormal-society' lifestyles.

Ryou felt his vision go blurry with moisture.

"Well, I don't think it's funny at all! Do you know how badly I used to be bullied in school?!" The strained teen's voice rose an octave, and his slender hands were trembling. "It's not easy being different- I thought you might know that!"

But Bakura just shook his head in a pacifying gesture and held up two fingers.

"Eh?" Ryou blinked. The shorter teen was baffled.

The burned boy smiled and held out a 'thumbs-up' sign.. He then took the 'thumbs-up' gesture and used the thumb to point at himself.

Ryou blinked, then gasped. "Oh!" He immediately spluttered out an apology. "O-oh, I am so sorry; I thought you were making fun of me!"

Bakura shook his head and typed:

/Nope. Never. I'm gay too./ He held up the two fingers again.

Ryou smiled in understanding and wiped his eyes. "Sorry, I'm just so used to people treating me like... like I'm diseased or something."

The patient nodded in full understanding.

/Yeah... I know what you mean./

They started walking again, their footsteps echoing in the stark hall. There was a lengthy pause before Ryou spoke again.

"My father and I are from England, and he's a rather strict Christian... I don't know what he'd do if he found out." His tender shoulders wilted in melancholy. "I hate keeping things from him, but I can't lose him. He's my only family." Ryou's eyes began to dampen again as he pictured his father. "I still love him, even if he doesn't..." A single glistening tear ran down his cheek.

He gasped when a larger hand reached up and carefully brushed the tear away.

/Don't cry./

The brown-eyed boy looked up in disbelief. He then gave a small smile and nodded. "Thanks, Bakura."

/Anytime/.

Ryou's gloominess seemed to lift at that one word. He wiped away the rest of his tears and looked at his companion.

"So... fancy some sludge?" Ryou smiled at his friend.

Bakura grinned in return.

/Sounds fantastic./


	7. Echoed Epiphany

A/N: My apologies; I wanted to post this chapter weeks ago but I ran into a continuity issue with the first draft and it was difficult to re-write. I am still working very hard on this story, and will try to update as often as I can.

Thanks for reading!

*knock-knock*

The next day, there was the familiar knock on the entryway of Domino Hospital Room #314.

"Hello? Bakura? Can I come in?"

There was a moment's hesitation, then a slight teenager slowly opened the wooden door. The pale volunteer stepped over the threshold. There were several uneven footsteps, followed by a moment of silence.

Ryou stared in shock.

The room was empty. And not just empty, but completely refreshed- the bed was newly made, the curtains were fully drawn, and there was an unnatural stillness hovering in the air.

"Bakura?..." The visitor called out plaintively.

But there was no answer.

Ryou's smile disappeared, and his body seemed to sink downwards. _'Is... is he gone?'_ He looked around the room, his face growing wistful as he went over the evidence.

The bed was very nicely cleaned up- with the covers folded evenly and the pillows perfectly fluffed.

Something Bakura would never do.

And then there was the fact that he clearly wasn't there- even though the patient would never leave his room right before dinnertime.

Ryou felt something sickening and smothering crawl its way from somewhere in his stomach into his throat.

'I'm not surprised he left... given what he's said about his life...' The former 'Buddy' felt a pain forming in his chest. '...but, I hoped he would at least offer... or _maybe..._ even ask if I-'

* **tap-tap** *

" _Y_ _Aa_ _ahhh!_ _!_ " Ryou- in a rather high-pitched tone- yelped as he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned only to find a rather amused burn patient coming out of the room's bathroom.

" _Bakura?!_ Don't _**do**_ that!" Ryou gasped and struggled to slow down his heart rate. He focused his breathing as he stared at the other white-haired teen.

The uncovered corner of his mouth was twitching.

"Bakura..." Ryou frowned warningly, but the bandaged patient only saw a very un-intimidating pout. In fact, it was downright adorable.

Bakura couldn't hold it in any longer, and he began 'laughing' at the unamused visitor. His mouth opened and closed as his body shook in muted mirth.

Ryou was (understandably) annoyed. Though he had to admit; it was rather silly of himself to not remember the room's half-sized bathroom.

When Bakura had finally calmed down, he grabbed the old phone and typed out his thoughts.

/You thought I'd left./

Ryou huffed, still a bit irritated. "Yes, well; given the way you've irritated the nurses, it wouldn't shock me." He allowed himself a moment before adding, "I'm surprised Nurse Hanasaki hasn't moved your body to the Eastern ward on the first floor."

/Nurses can't order transfers- besides, I'm supposed to be in the burn ward- what's the first floor?/

Ryou gave a surprisingly devious grin. "Oh, I didn't say she would 'order a transfer'- I said she'd 'move your body.' And the Eastern ward on level one is the morgue."

Bakura snorted. /Touche./

Apparently some of the housekeeping staff were switching their schedules around, and certain rooms were being cleaned earlier or later than usual. Bakura had no particular desire to be sociable today, and had gone into the bathroom to avoid dealing with the laundry personnel.

The silent comic slowly stopped chuckling. His earlier 'company' had been an unpleasant surprise, but he was very glad to see the kindly bookworm walk into his room.

But something was off. Bakura's grin faded as his scarlet eyes followed the other teen's steps. There was a faint hitch in the visitor's stride- like a weak limp.

"Anyway, sorry I'm late! I kinda tripped on the way here." Ryou laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

Bakura narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Ryou's clothes were all mussed and his face was rather red. He also had a shady dark-blue mark on his right wrist.

The 'bedside buddy' gave another awkward laugh and quickly tried to pin the attention on the patient.

"So, how are you feeling?"

/No./

"Eh?"

Bakura glared and pointed at the visitor's uniform. /If you tripped, why aren't your knees dirty?/

The smaller boy gulped. "Um, I... fell on my side?"

/Your shirt and pants still aren't that dirty./

Ryou just stared, not even bothering to reply.

/Who did this to you?/

Ryou looked downwards. He spoke in an unusually slow tone. "It was some guys from school... they wanted money, and I wouldn't give it to them."

/Tell me who they are./

The visitor blinked in confusion, but then he remembered how Bakura had mentioned he loved brawling (almost as much as knives).

The shorter boy shook his head. "There's nothing you can do- and I don't need help. As soon as they realize I won't pay them anything, they'll leave me alone."

Bakura gave him a stern look, but Ryou didn't budge. There was an uneasy minute in which both teens stared stubbornly at each other.

The inpatient finally gave in and sighed. It wasn't like there was much he could do right now anyway.

/Fine. Here./ He grabbed the pen and pencil by his bedside table and began writing down two sets of numbers. /These are for Malik and Marik's cells. If you ever get in real trouble, call them. They can handle almost anything./

Ryou stared at the paper as though it had spoken the numbers out loud. "Bakura... I can't do that- they don't even know me!"

/No, but I know you. And I trust you. Which means they'll trust you./

Ryou's eyes widened and his porcelain skin took on a faint tinge of red. "O-oh. Thank you- although I hope I won't need it."

Bakura waved a hand in dismissal. /Trust me, those two lunatics have nothing better to do. They'd love the excuse to cause some chaos./

The bullied teen tilted his head in speculation. "When you say 'nothing better to do'... do you mean they don't have classes?"

Bakura snorted. /They never gave a damn about school- they only spent their days thinking up ways to mess with the faculty. One day they finally got their *sses kicked out and they ended up getting a few random, minimum-wage jobs to pay for their measly apartment./

Ryou's light eyebrows lifted up in surprise. "They share an apartment? But I thought they weren't related- are they dating? I mean, Marik seemed a little... um, _untoward_ , when we met."

/Yeah, he thinks he's a world-class charmer, but he's just a lech./ He paused for a moment before hastily adding: /Stay away from him- he's trouble./

"Ah." The chocolate-eyed boy put a finger to his chin in thoughtful reflection. "Yes, he did act rather brash... hmm. Is Malik gay as well?"

Bakura raised an eyebrow in an 'are-you-serious' expression. /The guy who spent twenty minutes asking about your hair routine? Oh no, he's entirely straight. That's why he wears a bunch of flashy jewelry, bold makeup, and skimpy clothes./

Ryou pouted. "Well, I don't like to _assume_ \- no single stereotype applies to _everyone_ _._ I wouldn't want to insult someone I just met!"

/First of all, it's not a stereotype when it's obvious- and he's a subtle as a mallet to the face. Secondly, 'being gay' isn't an insult./

The former 'buddy' looked strangely pensive at those words. "...or, it _shouldn't_ be." He mumbled the phrase bitterly to himself.

The bandaged boy heard the comment, but Ryou didn't seem to realize. Instead, the student

shook his head as if to ward off more dreary thoughts. "Nevermind. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you were interested in reading any crime novels- my dad has an old collection, and he was thinking of donating some of the titles soon- they're mainly murder mysteries- is that anything you're likely to try?"

Bakura was about to nod when he suddenly started coughing- the cleaning crew had used some disgustingly potent cleaners, and the faux-lemon stench was driving him crazy.

Ryou carefully handed the patient a plastic jug of water from the bedside table.

Without even meaning to, the bandaged teen automatically replied as he took the cup.

"Nks."

" _Eh?!"_ Both Ryou and the patient blinked in shock.

The single, strangled syllable had been fairly quiet, but it was audible enough.

Ryou's cocoa-tinted eyes opened wide. "Bakura, did you just- talk?!"

The 'Buddy' nearly gasped when the other boy nodded. Bakura immediately opened his mouth a second time, but nothing came out. He frowned in frustration and repeated the motion, but only a faint rasping noise emerged.

"Easy, easy- don't push yourself too hard!" Ryou's face was ecstatic, but he reached for the 'Nurse Call Button' at the same time. "Your throat is finally healing, so try not to strain it!" His light mouth was making the widest grin possible. "This is wonderful!"

Bakura reluctantly closed his jaw and nodded. He was already infuriated by the slow progress of his speech.

Still... he felt his anger lessening when he saw the genuine joy etched across his friend's face.

'Ryou's smile...' Bakura felt his own face break into a (half) grin. Ryou, smiling like that... someone was truly glad that he was getting better. Someone who wanted him to get better...

Bakura nearly jumped when the door was thrown open. He turned to glare at Dr. Kiyoshi's ill-timed approach.

Alas, their whole visit was soon cut short by the arrival of the doctor's staff. The head of the burn ward was pleased with Bakura's improvement, and he had summoned the resident speech pathologist and several nurses. Ryou barely got a glimpse of the new, female doctor before he was briskly informed that 'visiting hours are almost over' by one of the nurses.

Bakura wasn't pleased when Dr. Kiyoshi ushered away the curious proponant, but the boy promised to call the two blonde nitwits and fill them in on what had just happened. Ryou's face looked equal parts apprehensive and hopeful as he waved goodbye.

"Good luck, Bakura!"

The other teen's expression lifted as he waved back.

"Nks, ee-o."


	8. Margaritaville

The sun was just starting to dip below the proud Domino skyline, when Bakura Touzokou heard a loud noise. It sounded like an annoying voice drifting down the Burn Ward's hall. A _very_ annoying, very _familiar_ voice.

The bandaged teen braced himself as he awaited the arrival of his co-conspirator. Moments later, Malik Ishtar brashly threw the door to Domino Hospital Room 314 wide open.

"Hey Bakura, what's up?" The dark-skinned teen was wearing his usual cargo pants and an old, purple t-shirt he had artfully cut and torn into a midriff top. "Your face is finally starting to look better- anyway, you said you had something to tell us?"

The burn patient nodded but didn't move. He'd been fortunate enough to 'borrow' a young nurse's phone for a few hours, and had texted the blonde nitwits ahead of time.

Bakura held up his own ancient cell for Malik to read: /Where's the musclehead?/

Malik huffed at the byname but didn't comment. "I bet Marik got held up at the front desk- he'll never be as good at sneaking past those nurses as I am." The copper-toned teen bragged shamelessly. "Or maybe he just got held up by those metal-detector thingies again... no matter how many times I remind him, he's always forgotten something sharp on his person..." the infatuated roommate gave an overly dramatic sigh, "-and I swear; this hospital's security guards have _no_ sense of humor."

Bakura frowned but was distracted by the sound of the door being opened again. Both teens' heads swiveled in unison as the taller of the blonde pair entered the room.

"Huh." Marik closed the door unusually slowly, and he spoke in a halting tone. "That's weird- I didn't know Ryou had a boyfriend."

 _'Eh?'_

Malik ignored Bakura's blank face and turned to look at his flatmate. "What do you mean, 'boyfriend?' You saw him with someone?"

"Yeah, he's making out with some tall dude in the hallway." Marik pointed one thumb towards the ward's center passageway.

 _'WHAT-'_ Bakura jumped up and ran to the door. He threw it open and looked up and down the sterile hall.

But the corridor was empty.

Instead, the inpatient nearly flinched when he heard the loud, twin cackles of laughter bursting from behind him.

"Ha! I _knew_ it! Bakura's gone sweet on Ryou! You owe me five bucks!"

Face slightly red, the patient slammed the door shut and glared at his two 'friends.' The street punk managed to make a low groaning sound- how stupid could he get? Ryou said he wouldn't be able to visit today, and it didn't take much for the two blonde dolts to get bored.

And when Malik and Marik got bored, things tended to get broken- hearts, heads, humanity...

It took the dark-skinned pranksters a few minutes to calm down. Their white-haired 'friend' merely glared while he waited. The hospital inmate eventually gave an impatient growl when the banter didn't end.

At last, Malik seemed to finally get the hint. "So, what did you want to tell us?"

The irritated teen began typing rapidly. /Some dumb*ss punks have been messing with Ryou. I gave him your numbers in case he runs into trouble./

Marik simply raised an eyebrow, but Malik broke out in a playful smirk. " _Aw_ _w_ , that's so cute- you're so concerned about him!"

/NO! I just... repay my favors, that's all./

"Oh?" Marik suddenly gave a darker smirk, and his voice took on a suggestive tone. "And just what 'favors' are we talking about here?"

The teen rolled his one uncovered eye. /Bringing magazines and sh*t so I don't die of boredom- get your mind out of the gutter for once!/

"Sorry, but I don't think that's possible for him." Malik snickered. "He's on 'sewer-support'- it's like 'life-support' for the dirty-minded!" The younger visitor flipped back a stray strand of platinum hair. "Anyway, does the little nightingale know?"

/Guess./

"Aww, it's okay, Bakura! There's nothing wrong with a little secret crush!"

It took every molecule of restraint in the burned teen's body to not retort with a 'kettle and pot' reference.

Malik continued prattling on. "Anyway; I approve! Ryou seems like a sweet guy, and you're more sour than a case of lemons!" The violet-eyed teen winked and wagged one polished finger. "But I bet together you two could be an adorable little margarita!"

Bakura was struggling not to face-palm. /That's not how you make a margarita./

The largest blonde suddenly looked concerned, like a thought just struck him. "But... maybe Ryou doesn't like guys? He didn't seem too thrilled when we met..."

Malik gasped sharply. "Oh no; so he's utterly adorable- but he's _straight_?! What a waste!"

Bakura was able to roll his eye again before typing out his thoughts. /He IS gay, idiots./

"Really?" Malik tilted his head as he lovingly adjusted the golden jewelery hanging from his neck. "Wow, someone definitely needs to clue him in on fashion, then." Marik nodded in agreement as he idly adjusted his own golden earrings. "Though, sadly, there's a more dire case right in front of us!" Malik gave a look of disgust as he tugged on the well-worn denim covering Bakura's ankles. "Seriously, Bakura, when's the last time you bought a new pair of jeans? There's a difference between the 'worn' look and the 'literally-on-their-last-threads' look."

The provoked patient smacked the blonde's hands away before replying. /Yes, well; as soon I manage to buy my own mansion to live in, I'll be sure to order the latest line from Paris./

Both the blondes instantly noticed the first half of their friend's sarcastic retort. "Wait, what?! You told us you were still in that Goshin foster home!"

Bakura flinched inwardly- he'd forgotten about that little fib. He didn't want the two twits freaking out over his situation.

Which, unfortunately, is exactly what Malik and Marik began to do.

"You mean you're still on the streets?!"

"Why didn't you come to us?!"

The dark-eyed boy shook his head. /You don't have the room or cash for another body./

"Hmm... can't argue with that." Marik frowned, clearly still uneasy about the situation. Malik, on the other hand, was still freaking out.

"But- you can't run around alone out there! There's still a lot of creeps from Shindo's old gang! I mean, look what happened to your face!"

Bakura glowered at the lecture- yes, he'd noticed the excruciating burns on his flesh; thank you very much. /Look, I'll figure something out. I'm good at that./

The smaller blonde looked reluctant to leave it at that, but Marik replied first.

"Well, if you're ever in a fix, you can still crash with us for a few nights."

Bakura couldn't help but smile a little at the absurd offer. /Fools./

Malik and Marik knew what was meant by the insult, and both grinned widely. "You're welcome!"

The three teens continued just teasing and messing around, until a very displeased nurse informed them that visiting hours had ended twenty minutes ago. As the bronzed visitors finally left, both they and their fair-haired comrade felt relaxed. No one from the parent-less trio could have known that deep in the city's slums, a spiteful lowlife was already executing a caustic plan.


	9. Unreasonable Revenge

~A/N: *Since the previous chapter was both late and short, I've posted the next one a little ahead of time- thank you for your patience!~

It was a rather quiet afternoon in the Domino Hospital Complex Wound and Burn Ward. The previous day's visitors were long gone, possibly contributing to the overly-peaceful mood. Bakura was reading through the latest magazines Ryou had brought for him, when he heard a knock on his door. His crimson eyes narrowed- it wasn't a soft and polite knock, like Ryou's- but it also wasn't as over-loud and eager as Malik and Marik's knocks. This was a stern and fast knock, like someone mad or impatient.

Expecting a huffy RN, Bakura was surprised when two uniformed Domino police officers stepped into the room. They were accompanied by a young nurse, and she looked fairly flustered.

"Are you Bakura Touzokou?"

The teen eyed the men warily, but nodded. He didn't bother trying to speak- the doctor had warned him against straining his throat, and he still couldn't enunciate well enough to hold an intelligible conversation.

"I'm Officer Mori, and this is Officer Saito. We're from the fourth precinct." The second man remained silent, shuffling awkwardly while the senior officer spoke. "We understand that you've suffered a rather severe injury that has left you mute- we have some questions for you, and Nurse Haruichi has offered to act as a mediator between us all."

Bakura frowned as the nurse moved closer to his bed and held out a notepad and a pen. He would much rather have pulled out his phone, but he had a feeling that wasn't a good idea. He had no proof that it was his, and these guys could definitely figure out (if they didn't already know) that he was an accomplished thief.

So he reluctantly took the pad and started writing.

/Why are you asking me questions?/

"We're investigating the death of a young man named 'Tanato Shima.'"

Bakura just stared blankly at the officer.

"You may have heard of him by his street name- 'Knives.'"

 _That_ struck a bell. He remembered that face- the last thing he had seen before he had been thrown face-first into hellfire.

" _Sh*tface, huh? That gives me an idea." *Snap!*_

" _Catch!"_

Bakura could feel his fists clench in rage- he regretted not seeing the life leaving that bastard's eyes.

Needless to say, he wasn't very choked up to hear of his demise.

"From what we understand, you were involved in an altercation with the victim a few weeks ago- an altercation which resulted in you suffering severe burns."

Bakura frowned- he didn't think anyone in that neighborhood was principled enough to risk talking to the cops about anything involving that psycho. But apparently some anonymous 'saint' had.

He internally cursed his bad luck.

Officer Mori cleared his throat and lowered his tone. "You have a rather long history with the Domino Police Department, and we have reason to suspect your involvement in the murder. We have it on record that you have fought with Mr. Shima on several occasions." Bakura only stared as the lawman continued to recall the evidence. "We have a witness who says they saw you leaving the Domino Hospital Burn and Complex Wound Ward around 5 in the evening last Friday. You were captured on camera heading off the grounds before sneaking back over three hours later."

The quieter patrolman finally interjected. "They stated that you had a dark cap pulled over your face to hide your bandages."

Bakura couldn't write fast enough.

/That's bullsh*t! I haven't been outside the grounds since I got to this damn place!/

Officer Saito looked nervously at his fellow detective. The louder officer didn't seem very convinced. "You have a long list of criminal activities, Mr. Touzokou- including breaking and entering. Although it's been updated in some sections, the fact is that this is still an older hospital, with many security flaws. Slipping outside is hardly an impossibility... particularly for an accomplished thief."

He ignored the teen's furious look and reached for the notepad.

"As of right now, you remain our top suspect. Please be advised that you are not to leave the city on threat of arrest and detainment."

Bakura was outright (mutely) snarling at Officer Mori, and he kept his hold on the notepad.

/You really think I was his only enemy?!/

The stern constable didn't sugar-coat the facts. "Although Tanato Shima was associated with other gangs, we've found no hard evidence- official or elsewise- indicating that anyone else had a grudge against him. At least, not to the extent that you would."

' _Great_.' The pale thief had only tangled with Knives and his boys a few times- hell, the only reason they were fighting  that night was because Knives had been looking for an excuse to test his fighting skills.

Officer Saito quietly explained the sentencing. "Seeing as how you are still a minor, you will be treated (and would most likely be charged) as such." The uniformed lawman glanced uneasily at his mentor before going on. "This means that you do not necessarily have to be held under confinement in a correctional facility. However, seeing as you already have a record, and are presently a ward of the state; you may be detained in a low-security juvenile detention center unless it is proven that you are directly under the care of a state-appointed guard."

Officer Mori nodded his approval at the explanation, before suddenly giving the patient a stern look. "As you are currently under the care of this Domino health facility, you will be considered 'in their care' until your discharge. However, after that date, you will likely be returned to your previous foster home. Do you understand?"

The mute boy nodded, his eyes narrowing harshly. Bakura finally handed back the officer's notepad and watched as the nervous nurse followed the two men out of the room. Officer Saito gave him one last look before filing out. The expression was no doubt meant to be sympathetic, but only ended up looking pitying to the bitter teen.

Bakura angrily turned away from the now-closed door to stare out the window. The sun had long set, and he could see his reflection in the darkened glass. The mottled bandages were a stark, visual reminder of just how unfortunate the burned youth's life had become.

 _'Life didn't just give me the lemons... it squeezed them right in my damned face.'_


	10. Down the Drain

The next day, a certain pale 'buddy' had once again dropped by to visit his companion in Room 314. Unfortunately, the events of the previous evening were still weighing heavily on the inpatient's mind. And as much as Bakura tried to shrug it off, the accusations seemed to settle over his brain like an all-encompassing cloud of noxious gas.

Ryou noticed the patient's bad mood almost instantly. "Um, Bakura? Is everything alright? I can always drop by some other day- if you could use a bit of time to yourself."

The treated boy shook his head. /No, I'm just... pissed./

The smaller teen tilted his head. "Are the nurses bothering you?"

/Well, yes, actually; but that's not why. I'm-/ Bakura paused. He hadn't even thought about what Ryou would think about the whole 'being charged with murdering the guy who burned my freakin' face off' situation.

"You...?"

The inpatient was conflicted. Ryou was the kindest person he'd ever met, and he trusted him. Bakura wasn't used to people giving a damn what he was going through. No one (except occasionally the dimwit blondes) was ever even interested, and he wasn't exactly eager to share the dark details of his life.

What would the sweet volunteer think of all this?

"Bakura? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to- just let me know if I can help anyway, ok?"

With such a soft and sincere tone, hearing that offering of help...

 _'_ _Agh... t_ _o hell with it.'_ The accused teen began typing out the basics.

/They think... I did something bad. The guy who did this-/ Bakura pointed to his charred face- /was just found dead. They say it's murder, and I'm their top suspect./

Two tawny-toned eyes widened in horror at the pixels on the cell screen. "Wait, but that's not even possible... what's going on? Why would they even suspect you?!"

Encouraged, Bakura continued typing the details. /Well, apparently he was found in an area where.../

A few minutes later, the pale suspect had finished his account, and looked anxiously at the other teen.

Ryou had his hand curled around his chin in deep thought. "Hmm... that's _very_ odd. I don't understand why someone would claim they saw you sneaking out like that. What could they possibly gain by making up something like that?"

Bakura was surprised to find himself feeling much more positive after hearing Ryou's reaction. The fact that Ryou didn't even question his innocence for an instant made his chest feel much lighter. Bakura actually felt a smile try to make its way across the good half of his face.

It felt so good to have someone listen to him; who actually _believe_ _d_ him when he told the truth.

It didn't happen very often. It felt... nice.

He didn't even notice that the younger visitor was still talking.

"Bakura? Bakuraaa..." Ryou snapped his fingers in front of the dazed patient's face.

Bakura started, and grabbed his phone. /Sorry, what was that?/

Ryou seemed to pout (and damn, was it adorable) as he crossed his arms in annoyance.

"I was saying that I'd like to help you with this- it sounds pretty serious, and yet it's absolutely absurd. Besides, I don't believe in holding a trial where the accused can't even speak on his own behalf."

Bakura wasn't entirely sure if Ryou meant that last phrase literally or not. But he could definitely use someone in his corner- particularly seeing how no one else was there.

His face turned a little brighter as he typed: /Alright./

They agreed to meet the next evening as well, and Ryou promised to help plan out some sort of response to the police force. Unfortunately, though, they hadn't counted on a certain blond-haired duo dropping by.

It was shortly after four o'clock in the evening on the next day. Bakura swiftly wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he stalked back towards room 314. The sink in his tiny bathroom had started dripping constantly, and it had taken ages to get one of the hospital repairmen to even look at it. Now the sink was completely wrapped up in black duct tape, with the totally pointless sign: 'Out of Order' taped mockingly on the tap.

'...idiots.'

So now every time the burn victim felt like a drink of fresh water, he had to march down the hall to the drinking fountain, carrying whatever container he could find to bring some back. And of course he had no bloody idea when the faucet would be fixed, as the repairman had quite clearly stated that it wasn't, quote; "a high-priority job."

Still sulking, the white-haired inpatient was nearly back to his room when he heard some familiar voices drifting down the hall.

'Eh?'

"-and then I figured I would give him a make-over before he woke up!"

Bakura felt his eyes narrow. ' _Malik_.'

"Are- are those braids in his hair?"

"French braids!"

Ryou was giggling lightly, and two deep-red eyes widened with horror. Malik was clearly showing Ryou pictures from his phone! Bakura snarled to himself.

 _'I thought he deleted those!'_

"And this is from the time that we mixed some wasabi into a bowl of mint ice-cream..."

"Goodness, that's a lot of water! Did he drink it all?!"

"Are you kidding? He went through three pitchers before he started throttling us!"

"Wow!"

'...sh*t.' The pale patient practically ran into the room, where, sure enough; he found Ryou and Malik sitting on his bed, looking over some very embarrassing pictures. Marik was standing nearby, also snickering over the obviously un-flattering photos.

"Oh, hello Bakura! Malik was just telling me some funny stories about the times you've hung out together!" There was a wide smile on Ryou's face, but Bakura focused his glare on the slenderer blonde. Malik only grinned, clearly used to Bakura's non-verbal threats. Marik, meanwhile, couldn't resist goading the teen a little further.

"Hey Bakura, we heard a rumor that some cops were asking about you- what'd you do this time?" But the blonde's joking tone shifted when he saw the look on the inpatient's face. Bakura quickly typed up a summary on his own screen.

/Knives is dead- and they think I did it./

"Holy-"

"Wait, _you_ _offed_ _Knives?!_ "

/NO!/ Bakura wished he could shout at the bronze-skinned idiots. /I didn't even know he was dead!/

The two golden-haired teens exchanged looks of incredulity. Then Malik suddenly covered Ryou's ears. The paler boy squirmed while Malik spoke. "Seriously, you can tell us- did you do it?"

Bakura gave a silent snarl as he held out his old phone. /Why the hell are you covering his ears?!/

The smaller blonde blinked at the screen before it dawned on him. "Oh, right! Sorry!"

He promptly removed his hands from Ryou's ears and placed them firmly over his eyes.

"Ok, type away!"

Meanwhile, Ryou was starting to fidget even more.

"Malik? Um, can you please let me go? I really don't think-"

"Oops! Sorry, I forgot about my voice- Marik! Cover Ryou's ears, would you?"

Bakura was able to manage a low, growling sound before he removed Malik's hands from the poor volunteer's face.

/Enough! I've never killed anyone- and if I ever did kill anyone it would be a double homocide!/

Marik read over the message and snorted. "You mean 'homicide.'"

/NO- I mean the victims would be two dumb*ss blondes that I know and loathe!/

"Hey!"

Ryou, having finally regained the use of his senses, was able to deflect the squabbling. "Anyway, I asked around, and one of my friends has an uncle who's a retired lawyer. He gave me some quick advice, and suggested I call back tomorrow afternoon so we could chat more."

Marik gave Bakura an unusually somber look. "You're gonna need it."

Normally, Bakura would've flipped him off in reply... but for some reason he couldn't help but think that for once, the psychotic perv was right.

He was still screwed.


	11. Height Appeal

When Ryou promised to 'help out;' Bakura Touzokou assumed he meant that he'd eventually call someone at Child Services or something. He hadn't expected his accidental 'buddy' to get involved like _this_.

The next day found the pale volunteer heading down the corridor to Domino Hospital Room 314. Only this time Ryou was carrying an exceptionally heavy backpack. The bandaged inpatient was surprised to see that his companion had brought with quite an assortment of materials: an old-fashioned cassette tape recorder, several legal pads/notebooks, a few books on basic courtroom proceedings, and his own personal laptop.

"Ok, first things first- I spoke with Mr. Kojima- the retired lawyer I mentioned- and I think it'd be a good idea to get _your_ side of the story first." Ryou sighed. "It might be a little hard given... well, you know. But I think it's really important."

The other boy nodded grimly before taking the keyboard. Bakura then spent the next hour and a half typing out what had happened. Ryou was right, it was far more difficult than just saying what he remembered. But the pale student was understanding, and watched the burn victim jot down everything on his laptop. Eventually, they had a pretty detailed record of all of his encounters with 'Knives' before that horrible night.

Bakura stiffened when they came to the time right before he was burned. Truthfully, he'd been trying his hardest _not_ to think back on that horrific incident. Some nights he still woke up, drenched in sweat and tangled in the thin bedsheets, as he fought against the memories of that scalding horror...

Thankfully, no one else knew that Bakura had these nightmares; but his conscious mind still seemed to freeze at the very thought of re-living the attack.

Meanwhile, the thoughtful visitor could sense the victim's unease. Two cocoa-tinged eyes watched as Bakura stared blankly at the laptop screen.

"Um, Bakura?"

Ryou's voice broke the older teen out of his stupor, and he turned to his friend.

The soft-spoken teen rested one hand on Bakura's shoulder and gently offered, "We can finish this another day, if you like. It's been a pretty long one already."

But the suspect shook his head- he wanted to get this done, not drag it out. He could feel the warm palm on his shoulder, and he took a deep breath before he continued.

Another hour and a half later, and they had finally jotted down everything Bakura could remember about the full incident.

"Ok, I think that's more than enough for today." The shorter boy sighed as he looked over the document file. "That was a great start; I can send this to Honda's uncle and hopefully he'll have some advice. I don't know how fast he'll answer, but I'll drop by on Tuesday either way- is that alright?"

Bakura nodded, a little weary. He hadn't realized that revisiting his memories would be so intense.

Ryou had just turned to leave when there was a faint 'clatter' as something fell on the floor.

The edge of his laptop sleeve had knocked over one of the plastic pill cases on Bakura's bedside table.

"Oops, I'll get it."

Ryou gracefully tilted downwards, and Bakura found himself staring at the other teen's form.

White, shining hair slid downwards over soft shoulders. A pretty, pale neck stood out as the snow-colored strands parted like velvet curtains. The skin looked as soft and sweet as a fresh peach.

Delicate hips rolled as the boy bent over, and Bakura's mind was so dazed he could barely stop himself from drooling. In his haze, he felt his eyes drifting lower to the boy's snug denim seat, and-

"Got it!"

Had Bakura actually gotten his full voice back, he probably would have yelped in shock. But mercifully, he only jolted. Ryou didn't even notice. Instead, the visitor merely gathered his things and headed for the door.

"Have a good evening, Bakura!" The kindly 'buddy' smiled his incredibly sweet smile, and dashed off down the hall.

Bakura was pretty sure he couldn't have voiced a reply, even if his throat was able.

Two days later, the least-personable inpatient of the Domino Hospital burn ward was lying on his bed, flipping through a magazine, and cursing the slow janitorial staff. He was getting tired of not being able to use his in-room sink. The annoyed youth was just considering complaining to the desk staff again, when he heard a loud yell.

"'KURA!"

The white-haired patient blinked in surprise as Ryou Bakura just about _flew_ into his room. He was panting heavily and appeared to have been running. Which was baffling, since the younger teen always followed the hospital rules (which definitely forbade flying down the halls).

"I found it! I found it!" Ryou was practically _bouncing_ up and down in hyperactive glee. Bakura was so startled that he began to speculate if this wasn't really Malik in some incredible disguise. "I had a really crazy idea and it turns out that it wasn't so crazy because apparently people often take videos of their relatives even when they're in the hospital so-"

Bakura grabbed the phone from his nightstand and quickly typed out an interruption.

/Ryou, take it easy- what did you find?/

"Oh, right." The boy gasped as he finally calmed down. "Ok, so you know how the police said that the security cameras were down on the day of the murder?"

The older teen nodded slowly.

"Well, I saw some birthday balloons outside of somebody's room as I was leaving Sunday; and I thought to myself: Don't some people occasionally celebrate their birthday while they're in the ward? So I started looking around and I saw another, half-deflated balloon three rooms down from here. There's an old lady in 320 who has a daughter and son-in-law, and they drop by sometimes. She also has a grandson, and the day of the murder was his birthday. So they all came to visit her while they celebrated. And the dad is a real tech nerd and he took over an hour's worth of videos on his phone!"

The bewildered inpatient could only stare as Ryou went on.

"I talked to the old lady yesterday, and she called the son-in-law so I could talk to him. And he e-mailed me the files of the recordings!" Ryou immediately whipped out his smart phone, and hit the 'play' button on what was evidently a video file.

Bakura watched, still very much bemused, as the screen showed what was clearly a group of people in another hospital room, all smiling and celebrating. There was an older woman lying in the hospital bed, while a younger woman stood nearby, holding what appeared to be an eight or nine-year-old boy.

"Remember, this room is just a few doors down from here- now, watch the door frame." Ryou pointed to the wooden structure just visible in the background of the video. Bakura waited as the people started singing the 'Happy Birthday' song, when suddenly-

"There!" Ryou gasped. Sure enough, there was a rather oddly dressed man walking by- he was wearing a hat (pulled very low over his forehead) and some dark, but non-descriptive, clothing.

Bakura slumped over in disappointment- he could never catch a break.

But Ryou seemed ecstatic. "This is wonderful!"

' _Wonderful_?' Bakura was starting to seriously question his friend's mental health. He stared in confusion before typing: /How is this wonderful? You can't even see his face!/

Ryou frowned. "Well, it doesn't really help find the real killer, I guess." His face fell for a moment before lifting again. "Still! At least it proves that you didn't do it!"

Once again, the question of Ryou's sanity ran through Bakura's brain. /What?/

The hickory-eyed boy smiled. "Every one of these rooms has the same type of door, right? You can see the door handles on both sides, see?" Ryou pointed to the video. "Those three points- the top of the door frame, the handle, and the floor- are consistent throughout the entire ward. Looking through a camera lens doesn't change those three measurements. Also, the distance between the rooms and the distance between the two walls in the hallway are always the same. So, as long as you have a rough approximation of distance, you should be able to calculate height simply by pausing a video frame! Even if you're not in the same room, you can still identify anybody passing by through their height!" Ryou grinned and held out his hands in self-evident success.

But the accused male merely blinked, and the other teen sighed.

"Oh come on, Bakura; didn't you ever take a math class? We can use the images on the video to determine how tall the man who walked by was. I'm guessing he was under six foot, but he's still very obviously taller than you."

The other teen frowned and folded his arms- anyone else might've thought Bakura was joking, but Ryou knew him better by now. He had to fight hard not to laugh at such petty pouting.

"Cheer up, Bakura- you're still taller than me! Besides, in this case, it's great that there's a height difference. It makes for hard evidence- it's easy enough to disguise your face or hair, but it's difficult to raise your height more than an inch or two." The teen paused thoughtfully. "At least, not without wearing _really_ high heels; but I think that would probably just raise  more suspicions for a man, really."

The accused boy's face grew slightly optimistic as the two began 'talking' about the video proof.

Ryou eventually set about outlining an e-mail to Mr. Kojima, explaining the new evidence. Bakura watched as the other fair-skinned adolescent typed quietly on his laptop. Occasionally, the mellower boy took one of the books he'd left on the room's desk, and flipped through it. Feeling a bit useless, Bakura decided to pick up one of the other legal books that the visitor had brought. But despite his good intentions, he soon fell into a soft slumber somewhere between the first and second chapters.

The patient's impromptu nap didn't escape Ryou's attention, and he allowed himself a very faint chuckle before returning to his typing.

An hour later, Bakura frowned as he heard another voice in the room. Someone was talking in a fairly stern tone. His crimson eyes blinked open before narrowing in dislike.

One of the older nurses was shaking Ryou's shoulder, trying to rouse him. Apparently the boy had fallen asleep while scouring through the shorter books on legal guidance that he had grabbed.

The bandaged youth felt a rush of anger towards the nurse- how dare she disturb Ryou's sleep! But he knew that the kind-hearted 'buddy' had to go home for dinner soon, anyway.

Ryou wasn't at all annoyed by the nurse, and instead thanked her for waking him. Shortly after hitting the 'send' button on the finished e-mail message, the boy headed out for the night. He made one last promise before heading out the door. "I have to leave, but I'll be sure to watch for any response from Mr. Kojima!"

Bakura nodded and waved the cheerful student off. There was a faint grin forming across the patient's face. For the first time in ages, Bakura Touzokou could feel the warmth of true hope building in his soul.


	12. Pardon Me

"Mdth."

"Nfph."

Bakura Touzokou frowned as he struggled to produce the sounds the speech therapist had suggested. So far all he had managed was a few mangled syllables that wouldn't even pass for a 'yes' or 'no'. The frustrated deviant was currently laying on his back, staring at the ceiling while practicing his speech.

Dr. Kiyoshi was supposedly coming by later to discuss transplant options- apparently his skin wasn't healing as well as they'd expected. The crimson-eyed teen scowled as he stared at the blank ceiling.

 _Just another check-mark on the list of failures that is my life..._

There was a knock at the door, but the bandaged patient didn't flinch- he recognized that quick, business-like pattern.

Sure enough, the door was soon opened by a very sober looking Officer Mori. He was quickly followed by his partner, Officer Saito, and the ever-hesitant Nurse Haruichi.

Bakura reluctantly sat up and turned to face the trio. The look on Officer Saito's face was more optimistic than their previous meeting. Officer Mori didn't seem any different.

"Mr. Touzokou- we've come by to divulge some information relating to your possible charges. I assume you remember myself and my partner, Officer Saito?"

Bakura nodded once, his eyes hardly glancing at the upbeat subordinate.

Officer Mori cleared his throat. "We recently received an e-mail message and several video files from your... friend, Ryou Bakura. The footage, although compelling; is actually redundant at this point in time."

Bakura blinked- 'redundant?' What could possibly render the video files Ryou found 'redundant?'

"We've come across another resource; a new witness, to be exact. And this witness has named a different man as the perpetrator- a well-known gang leader named 'Juga Hashire.'"

'Juga.' Had he been able to speak, Bakura would have hissed the name with a vehemence strong enough to knock the uniformed men over.

Juga, also known as 'Juga the Wolf,' was a low-life, scumbag drug dealer. He was greedy and crude; and he'd only risen to the top because he was usually protected by his witless flunkies.

He and Bakura had clashed once or twice- the most recent of which ended up with Juga and his top three thugs getting their *sses thoroughly whipped.

Bakura didn't mess with drugs, but he heard someone young screaming for help one night and couldn't ignore it. He'd found them in the back of a random alley; picking on a random bystander. Bakura wasn't exactly a feminist, but Juga and his numbskulls were harassing a young girl at least three or four years younger than Bakura himself. Sickened, he quickly curb-stomped the perverts and warned the girl to stay away from the area. Not that she needed to be told twice; the shaken girl barely gasped out a quick 'thank you!' before running home.

"Yes, we have records indicating that you two were not exactly, erm, 'friendly acquaintances.'"

This time Bakura couldn't stop himself from snorting out loud- **no** , they were not bloody friends.

Office Saito finally stepped in, his tone optimistic. "We believe that one of his associates, Aro Yoshida, was recently admitted to this same hospital after losing a knife fight. We think Yoshida recognized you as a fellow inpatient, and subsequently informed Juga. It's probable they then devised a plan to frame you for the murder of Tanato Shima."

Bakura was almost thankful he couldn't speak; he was fairly certain the threats in his head would be more than grounds for arrest.

"We believe he attempted to frame you to cast suspicion off of himself, while removing you from the area. We have video footage from a nearby jewelry store- they have an excellent surveillance system- showing the same man that your friend's video captured walking down the hall earlier that day." Office Saito gave a measured grin. "We've identified that man as Kenji Shibata. He's often referred to as Juga's 'second-in-command'."

Officer Mori cleared his throat again. "There are, of course, more details; however we feel that as you are no longer an active suspect in this case, you have received more than enough information."

Officer Saito stepped back, and waited while Nurse Haruichi led his partner out the door. "You may still be called in as a witness, so you're advised against leaving the city limits before the trial ends. But otherwise you're no longer under our surveillance or prosecution. Best wishes on your recovery!"

After a brief bow, the younger officer followed his superior.

Bakura stayed seated on the edge of the mattress, still somewhat numb. He knew that Juga wanted him out of the city, but to frame him for murder... _damn._

The teen gave a sigh and finally laid back down, the weight of the whole mess slowly falling from his shoulders. True, he still wasn't totally in the clear- and he doubted that Officer Saito's casual remark was only a friendly suggestion. He was still involved, even if he was cleared.

But a small grin did cross Bakura's (uncovered) face when he realized one thing.

 _'I'll get to tell Ryou tomorrow.'_

Bakura Touzokou had hardly ever been so anxious. The damned clock in his room was broken- it had to be, right? How else could time be moving so slowly? He snorted and turned back towards the closed door, silently willing it to open. He nearly bore a hole into the poor wood just by staring at it. Finally, having startled several nurses, Bakura heard the polite rap of his favorite visitor. He grinned as widely as he could when the door opened a tad.

"Hello, Bakura- can I come in?"

The swathed teen nodded and gestured quickly to the plastic chair by his bedside. Ryou quickly caught on to the unusual enthusiasm.

"You seem remarkably cheerful- what's going on? Did Malik and Marik do something to Nurse Miho?"

Bakura shook his head and quickly grabbed his old cell phone. He rapidly typed out a rough re-telling of everything that had happened the day before.

Ryou was surprised by the long text, but his expression soon turned serious as he looked over the words. After a few moments of silence, he lifted his eyes away from the aged screen and looked at the patient.

"Wait, so... you're not going to be charged? No trials, or punishment?"

Bakura shook his head, confused by the visitor's blank face.

Ryou then flat out squealed and nearly knocked the patient over in an emotional hug. " _OHMYGOSHTHAT'SWONDERFUL_ _HOW_ _THEYFOUNDHIMANDYOU'REFREEN_ _OW_ _-!_ "

Bakura, on the other hand, was frozen stiff. He wasn't used to people hugging him. Hell, the only people who even _dared_ were Malik and Marik. But for some reason this warm expression of joy was a lot more gratifying. The awkward teen could only move his own arms in what he hoped wasn't too feeble a response.

Ryou finally let go, and the burned teenager found himself strangely disappointed.

"We should celebrate somehow- oh, I know!" The smaller teen quickly pulled out his laptop and cell phone. "Let's order a pizza and watch some movies!"

Bakura gave him a dull look. /A pizza./

"Oh, sorry, did you want something else? We can order Chinese or something if you'd like."

/No, pizza's fine- but how are you going to get it up here?/

Ryou smirked confidently. "Don't worry; just leave it to me."

Sure enough, an hour later both boys were happily munching on a large box of 'Chicago Carl's' best pizza. They were watching a rather interesting murder-mystery starring Anthony Hopkins. It was very good, even if it didn't contain as much gore as Bakura usually liked. He usually preferred straight-up horror films, but for some reason he found Ryou's tastes quite complementary to his own.

Lying against the bed-pillows, enjoying a creepy movie, a slice of hot pizza in one hand, and an even hotter visitor on the other...

 _'Best. Celebration. Ever.'_


	13. Cleaning Up Doubt

(A/N: I wanted to post this shorter chapter first; the next full-length chapter will be up soon. Thanks!).

"Come on, Bakura- just for a few minutes?"

"..."

"We'll stay on this floor. We won't even leave the burn ward. Please?"

"..."

The moody patient scowled slightly. He knew Ryou was trying to be helpful, but the fact was that he was NOT going to leave his room. Not now; not when he didn't have any dressings covering his face. He stared at the room's plastic wastebasket. He could see the stained and crumpled bandages that Dr. Kiyoshi had removed only an hour ago.

Two days had passed since their little 'celebration.' The head of the burn ward had met with Bakura Touzokou before visiting hours started, and explained the news. When Ryou had arrived at his usual time, Bakura had relayed to him (by text) what Dr. Kiyoshi had said. Basically, that his bandages were finally ready to stay off for more than a few minutes at a time. In fact, the doctor had assured the teen that only 'nightly dressings' would be necessary after the end of this month. But now Bakura was regretting sharing that knowledge, as it had led to a new problem.

Ryou might not be disturbed by his appearance, but Bakura was convinced that everyone else would be. He could hardly stand to see his own reflection- the raw, painfully taut skin was stretched and warped and discolored in ways that still made him feel queasy. He couldn't imagine going out like this- even if it was just on hospital grounds. Besides, he knew not everyone on the Domino Hospital staff was trained to handle his gory visage. He was particularly uneasy about running into any unsuspecting hospital visitors. He could picture a young couple, just visiting a friend who broke an arm... he and Ryou turning the corner and almost running into the pair... the two strangers seeing his scars, yelling out in fright... two everyday people, suddenly confronted by the horrific tragedy that permanently defaced a lost youth...

Yet Bakura's reluctance was frustrating the former volunteer. Ryou didn't understand why Bakura thought everyone would see him as a monster. The Domino staff were well-trained professionals, and visitors rarely wandered the halls for long periods of time. Yet no matter what the visitor said, the patient refused to leave his room.

"Bakura, you're not a monster. You look different, yes; but that doesn't _make_ you something different."

But the downcast outpatient just shook his head. He typed hastily.

/Everyone'll find me disgusting. They'll freak out or pity me./

Ryou sighed and walked to the small bathroom. Bakura was a little dejected until he saw the other teen coming back with something white in his hand.

'A bar of soap? He plans to clean my face?'

But to Bakura's surprise, Ryou took the wet bar and rubbed it on his own lips.

'What is he-'

Ryou then leaned towards him and lightly kissed his injured cheek.

Bakura let out a surprised breath. He was stunned.

Ryou stepped back with a slight blush on his face. "People are always scared of something different. So yes, you may have to deal with some imbeciles. But what they say doesn't matter- they're pea-brains; who cares what they think? It's what you think that matters the most."

Once again, the strange and corny words relaxed the burned teenager.

"I don't know _how_ you feel, but I know you don't feel entirely like yourself. But it'll come back, eventually." The un-bandaged sufferer felt his shoulders go slack. "You might change a little bit after everything," Ryou warned factually, "but you'll never be a monster."

Bakura nodded blankly.

The other boy seemed excited. "Besides, don't forget what Dr. Kiyoshi said; you're eligible for the transplant soon! It's a well-documented procedure- I've looked online and it seems like a lot of people are very happy with the results. In fact, when they-"

Bakura didn't really hear much of Ryou's medical talk; he was still flustered over the kiss to his charred face.

'Why...' Despite his confusion, he smiled. In fact, both of the teens wore subtle grins for the rest of the Domino Hospital visiting hours that day.


	14. Belated Bluntness

'Damn it.' The seared teen inwardly cursed his luck as he walked back down the hospital hallway.

It had been shaping up to be a great day- Ryou had stopped by for a lengthy visit, and Dr. Kiyoshi (finally!) had more good news on Bakura's progress.

But then those two tanned dunderheads had to drop by...

Bakura snorted to himself. Normally the bored inpatient wouldn't have minded a visit from his old friends... but with Ryou also there... well, the unexpected Egyptians made it a loud, awkward group. Particularly now that the speech pathologist was adamant that Bakura 'rest his voice' more. Which meant Ryou was the only one of the lighter-skinned pair who was even supposed to speak.

A passing orderly glanced at the brooding teen. He ignored her, as he did with most of the staff.

 _'Useless gits...'_ Bakura had been reluctant to leave his three visitors alone. But the d*mned stubborn nurses still  insisted that he get his pills directly from their front desk and take them in front of-

"No! _Stop!"_

Bakura felt his stomach drop when he heard the high-pitched cries coming from his room. Someone was pleading with someone else in a near-hysterical tone.

"No! Malik, _please!_ _Don't_ _!_ "

 _ **'Ryou!'**_ Bakura charged down the rest of the hall, ignoring the strange looks from the staff. He threw open the door marked '314' and rushed inside.

Ryou was currently writhing on Bakura's hospital bed, his back on the mattress. He was still calling out for mercy, and tears were streaming down his face. His striped white-and-blue shirt had been pushed up nearly to his neck.

Meanwhile, Malik was crouched over the boy, his fingers dancing over the pale boy's bare chest.

With a guttural snarl, the inpatient grabbed the darker teen by one shoulder and threw him off the smaller visitor.

"Bakura! What-"

Malik's voice faded when he saw the look on his cohort's face. Bakura quickly grabbed one tanned arm and twisted it in a rough hold. The still-unintelligible punk growled a rough warning to his friend: **"Dmph tu** **lth** **Ree** **l** **o** **."**

"Bakura, wait! _WAIT!_ It's alright!" Ryou quickly pushed his shirt back down and sat up. His voice was still worked up, but now it came across as giggly. The slender teen waved his arms in an attempt to placate the angry hospital charge. "Malik was just  teasing me! I let it slip that I'm extremely ticklish, and he was joking! He wasn't hurting me!"

"Yrrl mott herfs?" Bakura's eyes softened, but his grip did not. The crimson-eyed antagonist suddenly felt a strong hand grab his own wrist.

"Let go of Malik- NOW." A voice hissed warningly in his ear. The pale deviant scowled, but let go of the other teen. The bronzed boy sighed and began massaging the feeling back into his shoulder.

"Thanks, Marik."

Ryou noticed a faint flush tinting the larger blonde's cheeks as he replied. "Of course, Malik." But the observance was quickly forgotten when Bakura made a pointed noise and folded his arms. Apparently he was still irritated by the misunderstanding.

"What happened?" Marik gave the room's designated resident a stern look, but Bakura didn't budge.

"Ryou said that he was terribly ticklish the last time he had to be fitted for a school uniform, and I thought it'd be funny to see if that was still true." Malik gave an over-exaggerated sigh. "But _apparently_ some people can't take a joke."

"I was laughing so hard, I started crying- and I think Bakura misunderstood when he heard me asking Malik to stop." Ryou added helpfully.

Marik snorted and gave the mute teen a funny look. "Overprotective much?"

Bakura was dying to flip off the muscle-headed deviant, but settled for merely typing a message on his cell. He held out the phone with a smug smirk.

/Pot, kettle much?/

Marik's face flushed even further, and he quickly shoved the palish arm aside. "No clue what you're typing about."

Before Bakura could reply, Malik suddenly broke into a light sneezing fit. "D*mn, I think we stirred up the dust in the room- cripes, doesn't anyone ever clean in here? Crap, and now my allergies are acting up-" Malik sneezed again, and looked around the sparse hospital room. "Hey Bakura, don't you have any tissue boxes here?"

/No, the nurses are all a bunch of stingy gits who live to make my life even more miserable- they keep the staff supply by the front desk; I've just been nicking them from there./

Malik only blinked. "So where is that?"

Bakura nearly groaned- _seriously?_ \- but slowly got up and guided his directionally-challenged friend towards the nursing station down the hall.

Meanwhile, Ryou couldn't help but notice the strange expression on Marik's face. The massive teen kept staring towards the door where Malik had just vanished.

"Um, Marik?"

Two vivid, amethyst eyes turned to meet the visitor's steady orbs.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The larger teen nodded.

"When Bakura was typing earlier... Malik didn't see the message- but I did." Marik's eyes widened a bit, but he didn't say anything. "...um, are... are you, perhaps... infatuated, with Malik- at all?"

The brawny Egyptian didn't respond for a moment. He turned to face the room's only windows, their reflection revealing his wistful expression.

After a few moments of silence his shoulders slumped over and he spoke lowly. "...you can tell?"

Ryou nearly sweatdropped. _'It's supposed to be a secret?'_ "Oh; um, well, it was just a hunch."

Marik turned back around and gave a miserable shake of his head. "I don't know what to do... he's the only person in the world who means more to me than anything. My first few boyfriends left me, and ever since I've always found it impossible to keep a strong relationship. It's so hard, just watching him every day... I want to say _something_ , _anything_ , but... what if I lose him? What if... I'm no good for him?"

It was a bit of a reach, but Ryou managed to place one pale hand on Marik's left shoulder. He gave a reassuring smile as he spoke to the despondent teen. "Given how loud he is, I doubt you could lose Malik anywhere- and if you weren't good for him, then why would he stick with you all the time? You two live together, go out together- I don't think it's much of a stretch to say you're compatible. In fact, I think you're so tightly bonded that any change to your dynamic seems inconceivable- erm, I mean 'scary.'" Ryou's chocolate-tinted orbs gleamed with honesty. Marik stood, letting the warm words flow through his thoughts. There was a brief silence, then a determined huff.

"You know what? You're right." The bronzed youth suddenly stepped forward, surprising Ryou. "I'm tired of all this uncertainty and moping. I'm going to tell him-"

Ryou opened his mouth, but was shocked when Marik kept on talking.

"-right now!"

"Huh?!" Ryou's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets- _was he serious?!_ "What?! Bu- wait- that's not what I-!- oh, dear." Ryou fell silent as, naturally, Bakura and Malik just happened to step back in through the door.

The duo was distracted, with Malik snickering at a clearly agitated Bakura. "Man, that purple-haired nurse was giving you the stink-eye like no tomorrow! What the heck did you do to get her so-"

"Malik."

"Eh?"

The biggest member of the group suddenly stepped forward and swept the other blonde into tight hug. Marik's vibrant eyes were shining with passion. His chin barely brushed against Malik's shoulder as he spoke.

The slighter foreigner was baffled by the sudden affection, but remained quiet.

"Malik, I'm sorry, but- I have to say this. I _**need**_ to say this." The taller blonde wrapped his arms a little tighter. "I should've said this years ago, but- it's you. It was always you that I wanted. And I'm sorry that I didn't admit it sooner." The muscular blonde sighed. "I never wanted anything from anyone else. I was frustrated because the one thing I wanted; I knew I couldn't have. I couldn't go after you- I would never be able to live with myself if you rejected me, or worse; if I hurt you." Marik's face grew slightly red. "I... don't know much about keeping a long-term relationship," he removed one arm to scratch his head in awkward admittance, "but, I know that you're the only one who has ever made me want to learn."

For possibly the first time in Bakura's memory, Malik Ishtar's voice was barely even a whisper. "Really?" The shorter Egyptian stared into the other's similarly shaded orbs. "You're- you're not just playing a prank?"

"Really. No joking." Marik leaned back slightly to look down into his treasure's eyes. "Malik-love, I want to be your boyfriend. Will you be mine?"

Although his mind was reeling, Malik managed to grin and replied with a single, "YES." Marik smirked, and he ducked his head to kiss his partner's. "BUT!" Malik teasingly pressed his index finger against his beau's lips. "I have just one rule: No one else."

Marik was confused. "'Else'?"

Malik moved his hands to his hips. "I'm not a toy or a whore. If you want to sleep around, that's fine; just know that I'll be gone before you get back."

Marik opened his mouth, but Malik pressed his finger back against the other's bronzed lips.

" _No exceptions_. I have too much respect for myself. I won't live in some freakin' love triangle, like that soap opera crap."

The older teen blinked. "I get it- but why is this so important to you?"

The other blonde grinned slyly. "Well... you know me~ I never learned to share with others." He stepped closer to the larger Egyptian. "See, I want _all_ of your kisses, _all_ of your looks, _all_ of your love- besides," Malik leaned down and whispered something into Marik's ear out of Ryou and Bakura's hearing range. And Marik -the _King of Cavorting_ \- actually _blushed,_ and even gulped.

The smaller blonde smirked as he drew back. "So- you think you can do this?"

Marik swooped down and grabbed his other half, lifting him up into the air. Malik wrapped his legs around his suitor and stared into his face.

"I will, or I'll die trying." Marik softly promised.

Bakura felt like gagging, but he decided it would hurt his trachea too much. Ryou was staring as though he was watching a very unexpected improv performance.

But Malik just grinned at the corny words, and leaned closer to his partner. The two bronze teens pressed their lips together in a rather passionate display.

The other occupants of the room waited in awkward silence.

…

A full thirty seconds had passed, and the blondes weren't stopping. If anything, the heated duo was only getting _more_ amorous.

Ryou's whole face was almost the color of a tomato, and he kept glancing away to look at the walls.

Bakura angrily held up his phone. He used his other arm to smack his bedside table to get the pair's attention.

/Are you two quite finished? If not, GTFO./

"Aw, seems like Bakura isn't feeling the love." Malik teasingly mused while Marik snickered.

"Yeah, but we should get going anyway- are you ready, Malik-honey?"

Malik nodded and leaned his head against his boyfriend's chest. "Yep- let's go!"

As the pair headed out the door, Malik called back from his perch in Marik's arms: "See you later, Baka-kura! 'Bye Ryou-kun!"

Quick as a wink, the crazy pair was gone, leaving behind a very shocked Ryou, and a bemused Bakura.

There was a moment of silence, in which Ryou struggled to comprehend the sudden event they had just witnessed.

"What- um, what just happened?"

But Bakura was less fazed, and he soon was holding up his phone for Ryou to read. /They're completely nuts- they do really spontaneous sh*t all the time. You get used to it./

"...I see." The passive teen was still staring at the door in stupefaction. The bandaged boy took advantage of this pause to type out a new message.

/You look like you could use an off-brand juice box past its expiration date- join me in the cafeteria?/

The still-bewildered visitor eventually turned to the crimson-eyed patient and smiled. "Erm, sure, I guess. You ready?"

Bakura gave a faint smirk before standing up.

/Of course, Ryou./


	15. Grafting Gift

"Ok, let's try some minimal pairs: **'The fat cat sat on the mat.'** "

"Thuh fad cad thaht uhn thuh mad."

The speech pathologist held back a sigh. She felt sorry for the frustrated teen sitting before her. Usually her patients were elderly stroke victims- unhurried people past retirement age, who knew they would be incapacitated for a while.

But the nettled victim sitting across the table was barely old enough to drive. He didn't fit in with the rest of her clients. He was far too exuberant for the long therapy sessions required for re-learning how to talk.

His red eyes were clearly burning with annoyance, and she couldn't really blame him. His progress was even slower than she'd anticipated. For an otherwise healthy youth, his injuries certainly weren't healing at a normal rate.

There was a rapid knock on the door of the speech therapy room, and Bakura recognized the voice of Dr. Kiyoshi on the other side.

"Dr. Koizumi? When you're finished with Mr. Touzokou, I'd like him to stop by my office. I have something important to discuss with him."

The red-haired doctor respectfully replied. "Of course, Kiyoshi-sensei." She then turned to her patient and smiled. "Actually, I think we can wrap things up for today- just remember my instructions: practice your phoneme list once a day, and try not to strain your voice otherwise. Ok?"

The blank-faced adolescent nodded once before heading down the hall towards the Burn Ward Director's Office. He opened the door without any preface.

Dr. Kiyoshi was sitting in his usual leather office chair, his pensive expression worrying the teen. But Bakura was immediately distracted when he saw that Dr. Kiyoshi wasn't alone. Standing next to the large, wooden desk was a slender teen with white hair and cocoa-colored eyes.

'Ryou?' Bakura stared at his friend with bewilderment.

Ryou had a strange look on his face- he looked nervous, but happy.

"Eh-hem." Dr. Kiyoshi cleared his throat and gave a brief nod towards the newcomer. "Good day, Mr. Touzokou. I believe I have some good news for you- my staff and I have reviewed your progress, and we've decided that you can be scheduled for a transplant." The older man's expression grew more positive. "It's unexpected, but we've managed to find a suitable donor already." The doctor looked very pleased. "It's difficult to find someone so fast, but this one is nearly perfect- same blood type, same age range, and same flesh tone. Not to mention he's already signed up through our specific donor program, which will make things go through faster."

Bakura blinked. He guessed that was good news, but why was Ryou here now? He usually didn't stop by until later.

"I believe you've already met Mr. Ryou Bakura? It's very fortunate that he was already registered on the hospital donors' list- his skin color is almost an identical match to yours."

'WHAT.' Bakura's eyes widened dramatically, and his jaw dropped partly-open.

"It's a rather simple procedure- we'll just make an incision along the buttocks, and remove a portion to apply to the damaged area. It will take a while, but hopefully if the transplant isn't rejected it should be fully healed within the next few months."

'WHAT THE-' Bakura's jaw dropped fully open. He snapped out of his stupor and grabbed his cell.

A few rapid keystrokes later, he shoved the phone into Ryou's hands. Ryou read the message aloud for the doctor.

"You mean you're gonna take a piece of his-" Ryou blushed and didn't say the word, "-and staple it to my face?!"

The doctor frowned. "While I won't be using staples; yes, that is the gist of it. Skin from that area is quicker to heal and easier to transplant. The scars are also hidden, which most donors prefer."

Bakura nearly passed out. He had a hundred and ninety questions, but the foremost were 'Why Ryou?' and ' _b_ _uttocks_?!'

"We'll discuss more of the procedure tomorrow. In the meantime, you may want to discuss your views on this possible transplant with the potential donor."

The doctor promptly left, leaving Ryou and Bakura to confer.

The next two hours were spent texting and talking in a fierce argument.

Bakura was absolutely adamant that Ryou was _NOT_ going to have part of his butt ripped off for Bakura's sake. He explicitly vowed that he would refuse to receive such a transplant- and that was that.

Ryou, on the other hand, was insistent that he _wanted_ to do it, and that there were very few registered donors with their skin tone. And given that this was for Bakura's alabaster face... well, it was either go with Ryou's offering... or else start permanently cosplaying as Dr. Black Jack.

Finally, Ryou convinced Bakura to simply look through the book of possible tissue donors. Bakura noticed that Ryou was right- there were very few donors with skin tones even _close_ to his- most had stronger tints of brown or red. But he and Ryou both had tones so pale that they almost appeared to be blue.

After nearly another hour of discussion, Bakura agreed that he would _consider_ it. Ryou took this as a yes and gave Bakura another hug. The other youth was shocked and could only awkwardly hug back in what he hoped wasn't too weak a gesture. Ryou eventually left, promising to drop by the next evening with more information.

The confused inpatient sighed to himself- this really wasn't what he had expected would happen.

'Just wait 'til those two blonde-haired nuts hear about this...'

Sure enough, the next evening the dreaded Egyptian duo dropped by. Ryou explained most of the situation, much to Bakura's unease. Perhaps the smaller visitor was more trusting of the two blondes, but Bakura knew better. Malik and Marik were far too immature and unsympathetic. They wouldn't let the misfortunes of their pale friend stop them from poking fun at the irritated teen.

"I always thought you had a face like an *ss!"

'So much for sympathy and maturity...' Bakura groaned as he endured the countless puns and off-color jokes from his so-called 'friends.'

The ribbing continued intermittently for over an hour, until Malik finally took it too far.

"So Ryou, you're going to be laid up for a while too, right?" His sly tone was unnerving. Ryou nodded apprehensively, and Malik smirked. "Of course, what with Bakura getting a piece of your *ss; you probably won't be able to walk for a month." The blonde deviant winked brazenly.

Poor Ryou squeaked in mortification.

Bakura, on the other hand, was starting to see red.

"Does this mean he owns Ryou's *ss?" Marik pondered aloud with fake innocence.

'OK, THAT DOES IT.' Bakura jumped up and proceeded to chase the cackling imbeciles out of the room. Ryou could hear them still taunting their victim as they fled down the hall.

Bakura made his way back to the room, his face flushed from exertion and embarrassment. The burn victim huffed heavily. He grabbed his phone and quickly typed an apology to Ryou.

/I'm sorry- I won't let them visit again./

Ryou was still pretty flushed, but his response surprised Bakura.

"Oh no, it's fine; they're quite funny- albeit a little crude." He mused mischievously. "But I wouldn't mind hanging out with them again."

/Speak for yourself./ But the tired inpatient just collapsed onto the uncomfortable bed. /I still don't understand how they're getting on the ward in the first place- I thought they were banned./

"I think I saw Malik saying something to Nurse Miho once- she looked rather intimidated."

Bakura tried not to let Ryou see the faint grin growing on the good side of his face. /Shame. Anyway, today's Friday- fancy another movie marathon?/

Ryou's eyes gleamed with eagerness. "Only if it's horror-themed."

/You got it./


	16. Apt Arrangement

(A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long! Ran into some writer's block- anyway, there should only be a few more chapters before the ending! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!)

Bakura was starting to get nervous as he thought about what was going to happen when he was discharged. There would be a two-week gap between now and the day he would have his transplant surgery.

Naturally, as a ward of the state, Bakura had been assigned a 'case-worker.' The harried woman was supposed to check in on him at least once a week. But given how overloaded and messed up the system was, she was rarely available. In fact, he hadn't seen her _once_ since he was hospitalized.

He groaned in intrinsic annoyance. Sure, he'd slept on the streets plenty of times, and in the past he could steal almost anything he'd needed. But now, he would have to keep his wounds clean, refreshing the bandages every eight hours. Using clean water, anti-bacterial soap, and fresh gauze.

That wasn't going to be easy to do in a grungy back-alley or an abandoned construction site.

And then things were further complicated by the whole trial crap. He may have been cleared, but until the case was actually finished he was still an 'alternate witness' who might have to appear anyway. He wasn't allowed to leave Domino, which limited the number of foster-type homes he was eligible to stay in. Not that it mattered either way- all the houses the hospital contacted were completely full. Of course, there was also the issue of desirability. Bakura was a teenaged street thug who was just investigated for a violent murder case. Needless to say, even if a spot did open up, they were far more likely to give it to a younger orphan first.

Bakura didn't blame them- no helpless runt deserved to be left on the streets.

That sentiment, however, did nothing to help him prepare for the upcoming circumstances. He was out of ideas, and he couldn't imagine a positive solution.

Yet the answer to his dilemmas came about the next day- in the oddest way possible.

~.~.~

"And they'll know the right account number? Right, yes- ok, I think I can handle that. Mm-hmm. Ok. You take care too. Love you!"

Ryou Bakura hung up the phone and turned to the only other person in the room. "Sorry about that; it was fairly important."

The inpatient held up his old phone. /Your dad again?/

Ryou nodded. "Yes, he needs me to run another errand." The shorter youth gave a faint sigh as he explained. "My father's always away for work- he deals in foreign archeology for the British Museum. He's only home a few times a year. He's in Egypt now- I haven't seen him in months." Ryou sounded a little depressed by that admittance. "It wouldn't be so bad, except I have to keep up the house while he's gone. I asked about renting an apartment (just for myself), but my father's never sure when he'll be home or for how long..." The vocal teen shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring down the mood."

/'S okay./

"Anyway, how's things going with your caseworker? Were you able to get ahold of her?"

/Not at all. Neither her e-mail or her phone messages ever get answered. By this point I'm actually considering getting a d*mn messenger pigeon./

"To deliver a tiny strip of paper to her office?"

/...I was thinking more along the lines of just training it to poop all over her desk./

Ryou let out a soft laugh, but his face soon turned blank. Bakura watched inquisitively as the other boy's expression grew serious. Ryou looked thoughtful, and he soon started speaking in a halting tone.

"You know... I have a lot of exams to study for, and I need to find a job soon so I can work my way through college." The younger teen shrugged. "Needless to say, I don't have a lot of time for chores like cutting the grass or doing laundry."

Bakura had no idea where the visitor was going with this, but decided to hold his questions.

" _But_ , I did some research online yesterday... and there's an interesting by-law in the official ordinances of Domino City. Apparently, if you want to hire someone to work as a live-in nanny or butler or such, you don't have to pay them standard wages- so long as the room and board they receive are of fair compensation."

Bakura blinked- he still didn't get it.

Ryou smiled as he explained. " **I** need help around the house. **You** need a place to stay. Legally, I can 'hire' you as a live-in handyman (or whatever term you like) and yet I won't need to pay you with anything more than room and board."

Bakura's jaw dropped. He stared bemusedly while the other teen clarified.

"I hate living alone in such a big house by myself, and it's near the hospital, which is good for your future appointments. I think it could be a great arrangement for both of us." Ryou held a finger up in playful jest. " _But_ , keep this in mind: I'm going to college next year, and I need to save every penny I can. So if I hire you, you will be expected to help out in exchange for the room and board- got it?"

Bakura could barely contain himself, and he nodded rapidly. That agreement sounded _great_. He wasn't afraid of cleaning- hell, it'd be worth it just to stay in a place _worth_ cleaning for once! The overloaded and underfunded foster homes and orphanages he'd always been stuck in weren't exactly five-star hotels.

/When can I start?/

~.~.~

Two days later, Bakura was finally discharged (none of the staff seemed heartbroken, although one young nurse was very upset that Ryou wasn't going to be stopping by anymore) and found himself being treated to a tour of Ryou Bakura's modest, two-story house.

It wasn't a mansion, but Ryou was rather proud as he talked about nearly everything. The two boys were still on the first floor, which housed the kitchen, the living room, and a small dining room.

"And these are the stairs to the second floor," Ryou gestured happily, "-just be careful not to trip on Kiyoko's ramp."

Bakura glanced curiously upwards- sure enough, along the right side of the steps was a make-shift ramp. It seemed to be made of cheap, wooden boards and old, scratchy carpeting. It was very small (not even a foot wide) and ran the entire length between the floors. The peculiar construct looked very much out of place in the tidy house.

Bakura was baffled how anyone could use that thin ramp, when he heard a soft sound from the top of the stairs.

There was a rather beautiful cat sitting on the upper landing, looking down at them quizzically.

"Hello Kiyoko-kitty! Did you miss me today?" Ryou smiled at the pretty, white cat. Her fur was a medium-short length and almost the same color as Ryou's hair. Her eyes, however, were a beautiful emerald green. She appeared to be a juvenile- not quite a kitten, but not yet an adult.

The cat meowed plaintively, and Ryou sighed. "She used to have trouble going up and down the stairs, so I would carry her whenever she called. But apparently I spoilt her too much, and now she refuses to use the ramp whenever someone's around."

As Ryou headed up the steps, Bakura was still bewildered- why would a cat need a ramp? But Ryou lifted her anyway and carried her softly back down the steps.

"Kiyoko, this is Bakura-kun. He's going to stay here for a while."

Kiyoko sniffed at the newcomer, but didn't react otherwise.

Ryou rolled his eyes at the indifference. "Sorry, she's usually much more friendly. She just tends to be a little cranky when I'm late with her dinner- geez, I really _do_ spoil you too much." He tilted his head down and the contented cat rubbed her soft forehead against Ryou's chin.

The white-haired/furred trio trooped into the kitchen. Ryou carefully set Kiyoko down on the floor, and Bakura finally saw why she might have trouble with the stairs- she only had one back leg.

Her right rear leg seemed to be missing everything below the thigh- there was no ankle or paw.

Bakura frowned as he watched the pet clean her face.

Was he just like this cat? Something that Ryou had brought home out of loneliness or pity?

Ryou began to open a tin of cat food, completely unaware of his visitor's dilemma.

It wasn't long before Bakura typed his first words since he was invited inside.

/Do you have a habit of bringing home misfits?/ The words were simple, hiding his displeased tone- but Ryou sensed it anyway.

The homeowner turned to face the outpatient before speaking up. "Not at all. Kiyoko's special- one day I came across a kid with a box of kittens sitting on the sidewalk. He owned the mother but his parents wouldn't let him keep the kittens, so he was giving them away. He told me that I could take any one I liked, but he pointed out that I wouldn't want her because she was 'broked.'" He pointed needlessly at Kiyoko's backside. "She was born with a deformity, you see."

Bakura wasn't convinced, but Ryou ignored his expression and sighed wistfully. "But I thought she was just _beautiful_. Her eyes seemed to shine the brightest out of all of the kittens, and she looked like she was saying, 'I wanna have an adventure!'" Ryou giggled. "So I brought her home, and she's been here ever since."

/But she's handicapped./

Ryou shook his white locks from side to side.

"She's not handicapped."

Bakura raised an eyebrow in an ' _are you serious_ ' expression. Ryou smiled as he explained.

"A handicap is something that stops you from living your life as you like." He carefully mixed the wet and dry cat food in a small, pink bowl. "Sure, it's an inconvenience sometimes, but it doesn't stop her from living her life as she likes." Ryou placed the bowl on the floor, and the cat happily tucked in. "She's never seemed unhappy, and even when I sometimes accidentally leave the front door open, she never tries to run away or hide."

Bakura frowned- Ryou definitely said some weird stuff sometimes... but why did it often seem to make sense? Maybe it was the calm and positive way he would say it...

'Hmm...' The corners of the burn patient's mouth turned slightly upwards as Ryou continued the 'tour.'


	17. Fair Trade

A few hours later, Bakura Touzokou still had a smile on the undamaged portion of his face. He was lying on what was possibly the most comfortable bed in existence, staring upwards at the starry ceiling.

The white-haired deviant thought back to earlier that same evening, and chuckled slightly.

Ryou had shown him all the rooms of the house, saving the farthest upstairs for last.

" _And this is the guest bedroom, which is yours now, if you choose... the bed's a bit old, but the mattress is newer, and should be quite comfy."_

 _Bakura looked with interest at the modest quarters- the room consisted of a full-sized bed, a matching wooden dresser and desk, and a tiny nightstand. A small, white TV sat on top of the dresser, and there were framed pictures of wildflowers on the pale blue walls._

" _The switch over there controls the fan, and this one is for the main bulb." Ryou tested the room's light switch, but when he flicked it to 'OFF' the room still had a faint glow._

" _Oh no; I forgot about the glow-in-the-dark stars!" Both boys looked up at the ceiling. There were several plastic stars glimmering down on them with a faint light. "They've been up there so long, I completely forgot- oh, I'm sorry, Bakura! I'll figure out a way to get those down- otherwise they might keep you up at night." Ryou started looking around for a step-stool, when he was stopped by a light tug on his sleeve. Bakura had typed something on phone's aging screen and was holding it in front of him._

 _/This used to be your little sister's room, right?/_

 _Ryou paused before nodding sadly. "Yes... she loved anything to do with nature. Flowers, stars, animals..."_

 _/Then it's alright. You should leave them./_

" _Really? Are you sure they won't bother you?"_

 _/Ryou, you've_ _seen_ _how fast I can fall asleep. Trust me, they're fine./_

" _Alright- truth be told, I always kind of liked them."_

 _/All the more reason they should stay./_

 _Ryou gave a shy smile before pointing out the TV and its features._

'He's far too kind...' Bakura felt his eyes closing- as marvelous as the day had been, it was an exhausting change. The soft bedsheets surrounded him, coaxing him into slumber. Eventually, his thoughts slowly vanished along with the green glow above him.

The next morning, Ryou carefully made his way down the stairs in his favorite grey-and-white spotted pajamas. He was surprised to smell something coming from the kitchen. Something delicious.

"Bakura?" The bewildered teen cried out, momentarily forgetting that his new companion was somewhat mute. He stumbled into the kitchen, still drowsily rubbing his eyes.

"Moorthing." Bakura managed a garbled greeting. The taller boy was wearing an old apron over his clothes, and was tending to what looked like a skillet of bacon and eggs. After a few more moments of sizzling sounds, he turned and showed the pan to the homeowner.

"Is- is that br-breakfast?" Ryou couldn't help but stutter slightly. He was still tired, and surprised. "Wha- you mean, you know how to cook?"

The mute chef nodded and put down the pan in favor of his phone. /More or less. I'm no Cordon Bleu, but it should be edible./

"Oh. T-thank you, Bakura." Ryou's face had a slight flush- he certainly wasn't expecting the outpatient to cook for him! He eagerly took a plate and was instantly served a hearty helping of both eggs and bacon. "Mmm- this smells wonderful!" He dug in while the other boy typed out a reply.

/To be honest, I've never cooked much more than this- and I mainly guessed on the seasonings./

"Are you kidding?! This is fabulous!" Ryou soon gulped down the delicious brunch and stared in amazement at the other teen. "I'm serious! You could become a chef!"

The bandaged youth made a snorting sound. /Think I've had enough fun with fire already- I'm staying away from anything larger than a domestic oven./

Ryou gave a shrug and said, "that's a shame." But he didn't press the idea further, opting instead for some scrumptious seconds.

After feeding Kiyoko and changing into his uniform, Ryou pointed out a list he had thoughtfully prepared for Bakura- it included numbers for the local emergency lines, local delivery restaurants, and a checklist of all the chores that needed to be done. "School's over by 3:30, so I should be home by 4:00- I'll bring some take-out home for us both for dinner. Meanwhile, there's plenty of bread and lunch meats in the refrigerator/freezer- I take it you can manage lunch for yourself?"

The meat-eating teen nodded- that sounded like a gourmet paradise compared to the hospital's fare!

"Great! See you later, Bakura!"

"Tathe carfe, Ryou." Bakura was secretly pleased that he had managed to pronounce his landlord's name right. Although the rest of the sentence still sounded like rubbish.

After washing the dishes, Bakura set about evaluating the list of household chores Ryou had made. Some were marked with a small star, which meant they needed to be done sooner than the others.

Most of the tasks were indoors-based, so the bandaged teen started out by dusting the rooms downstairs.

Kiyoko was just as polite and reserved as Ryou had predicted. Though she occasionally rubbed against the newcomer's legs, she soon left him alone after a few quick pats.

Although he had never been all that fond of animals, Bakura could see why Ryou had taken her in. The quiet, graceful cat made a nice companion for someone all alone in the large house. She gave off an air of calm and contentment that was almost catching.

That is, until Bakura plugged in the vacuum cleaner. Then the three-legged feline quickly hopped out of the room, her tail straight up in alarm. Clearly not amused, she hid, giving him dirty looks until the noisy machine had stopped. It took several minutes for her to 'forgive' the new house-cleaner, but by noon she was back to asking for attention.

Around 1:00, the busy teen decided he needed a quick break. Lunch was a simple but enjoyable affair. Bakura made himself a hearty lunch-meat sandwich with fresh bread, some slices of turkey, a single slice of tomato, some more turkey, and (just for good measure), more turkey.

He quickly downed the delectable deli slices alongside a cold glass of milk. "Mmm..." The teen couldn't help but let out an approving noise after finishing his lunch. On the rare occasions when the hospital menu offered meat, he had always ended up staring at the dish, wondering just _what_ animal the meat had come from. He shuddered as he remembered the time he'd ordered the chicken soup. He'd wondered why someone would put bits of diced cabbage in it... until he realized the purplish-gray squares _were_ the chicken.

'Alright, back to work.' After cleaning up the kitchen, he checked on Kiyoko (who had fallen asleep on a sunny window ledge) and re-filled her water dish. He made his way upstairs, armed with a dusting cloth and a spray bottle. The second door on the right was closed, and he paused outside it.

'Ryou's father's room...' Although he hadn't been explicitly forbidden from entering, Ryou had explained that he rarely touched anything inside. He didn't want to misplace any of his father's research notes, and told Bakura that he was not expected to clean the room (to help avoid mix-ups).

But still, there seemed to be no harm in looking... right? The curious cleaner slowly opened the door, watching as the light from the hallway flooded the musty room.

'Whoa...' The chock-full room was such a contrast to Ryou's, that the newcomer nearly gawked. There were just as many bookcases, yes; but these were _overflowing_ with books stuffed in however they could fit (many were also crammed with what looked like reference notes and post-its). The only bed in the room was covered with a slightly dusty queen-sized duvet. The room's full-sized work desk, however, had almost literally no space left. Aside from a black desk lamp and an ancient typewriter, the entire surface was taken over by countless paper materials. Indeed, there were papers in almost every form imaginable- personal notebooks, field reports, museum catalogs, reference books, old newspapers, and even some foreign language books that Bakura didn't recognize.

'Is that... Greek? And those pictures- is that Egypt? Weird.' His gaze shifted from the chaotic desk to the only corner of the room he'd overlooked. He stared at the small dresser- on top of the wooden furniture was a small collection of pictures and candles.

'A memorial...' The shrine was clearly the only thing in the room that was dutifully maintained. The picture frames were all polished, and not a speck of dust adorned the candles and incense surrounding the display. For some reason, Bakura felt compelled to look at the photographs. The largest one was a vertical image resting inside a handsome silver frame. It was a very flattering picture of a young woman, likely in her late twenties. She was seated in a white wicker chair, and was holding a very young child- a girl of no more than two. Both the woman and the girl had soft, hickory-toned eyes and gentle smiles. Standing in front of them was a small boy, around five or six years old. His hair was the same color as the chair. He had a familiar smile, and was waving cheerfully at the photographer.

'Ryou...' Seeing that innocent, beaming face only made the reality seem that much more cruel. 'I wonder how old he was when the crash happened...'

Bakura Touzokou wasn't much for religious customs, but he did give a brief bow of respect before leaving the somber bedchamber.

Two more hours passed, in which the busy outpatient managed to tackle a great deal of the assigned chores. Bakura let out a faint smirk of pride as he checked off everything he'd managed to get done. He had a feeling his new 'landlord' would be pleased.

There was a noise from the front hallway, and Bakura smiled when he heard a familiar voice.

"Bakura? Kiyoko? I'm home!"

Kiyoko trilled in delight and ran to greet the student. There was a delicious smell emanating from the plastic take-out bags in his right hand. Ryou closed the door behind him before leaning down and gently petting the white feline with his free hand. "Hello, Kiyoko-kitty- did you miss me today?"

The cat let out another mew of joy, and Ryou grinned.

"Welthum homth." Bakura sauntered into the front hallway.

Ryou's smile grew. Bakura's speech was improving. Slowly, but still definitely improving.

"Hello, Bakura- were you able to get anything crossed off the list today?"

The scarred tenant hid a smirk as he casually handed over the nearly-finished list.

Ryou's eyes widened as he saw that virtually everything had been crossed off the paper. "Wha- but, Bakura, this was all stuff that you were meant to get done in a _week_!"

The near-mute teen shrugged. /What can I say- I didn't have much else to do today./

"Bakura... you're still recovering from everything. Don't over-work yourself- remember; you're going to have more surgery next month!"

/All the more reason to get everything done now./

Ryou gave a bemused sigh. "Well, I am impressed- but don't hurt yourself, alright?" He hefted up the bags in his right hand. "Otherwise, who's going to help me finish off all this grilled Teriyaki Chicken?"

The famished outpatient quickly agreed and helped bring the heavy bags into the kitchen.

 _'Best. landlord. ever.'_


	18. Weekend at Bakura's

_*Ding-dong!*_

Three days went by in relative quiet. But then the doorbell of the Bakura household suddenly rang late one afternoon. Ryou had excused Bakura from answering the door when he was by himself- it wasn't likely to be anyone important, and since he couldn't fully speak yet; it was rather fruitless.

Still, Bakura smirked to himself, he did have some fun earlier with some unfortunate solicitors. He'd noticed two young missionaries walking up the drive, and he _just so happened_ to be in the middle of changing his gauze...

Needless to say, there were a lot of religious pamphlets now strewn all over the front lawn, dropped by the two fleeing clergy members.

 _*Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!*_

Bakura scowled to himself- he hated when people couldn't take a d*mn hint-

 _*Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!*_

Irritated, the teen put down the rag and picked up the feather duster. He had to go outside to beat it clean anyway. A devilish smirk made its way across his half-hidden face. 'Though maybe now I'll get to beat it against something _other_ than the front walk...'

 _*Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!*_

He gave a guttural snarl as he finally reached the wooden door and turned the handle. 'Okay, forget the _beating_ \- I'm shoving the tail end of this thing right up someone's-'

" _BAKURAAAA~!"_

" _Whath the-?!"_

The burn victim barely managed to open the door when he was audibly assaulted by two cacophonous voices. It didn't take long for both of the foreigners to force their way inside the front hall of Ryou's house. This left Bakura standing at the door, silently fuming in disbelief. Both his eyes narrowed in annoyance. Then again, he should have guessed... who else was crazy enough to ring a doorbell twenty times in a row?

Malik managed to give the tenant a quick hug before backing away to a safe distance. "Ryou gave us your address so we'd know where you're staying- in case of an emergency!"

"And we decided we should at least see the place- make sure it's suitable and all that." Marik added unconcernedly.

Bakura highly doubted this constituted as an 'emergency,' but decided not to comment. Their concern- however misplaced -was still well-intended.

Marik suddenly noticed the feather duster in the pale teen's hand and smirked. "Hmm... I always thought you'd make an adorable housewife."

"Pith off, Malik!"

Malik looked hurt by the insult. "Hey, what'd I do?!"

"Noth Malik, MA- _Rith_!"

"He means me, sweetheart." Marik flipped a stray lock of hair over his shoulder. "You really should practice your exercises more, Bakura- might be able to pronounce things better."

"Tch." At least he didn't need practice to flip the blonde the bird. But before the visitor could reply, there was a strange sound from somewhere near the floor.

"Prrrow?"

"Eh?" Malik blinked in surprise and looked down to see Kiyoko staring up at him with curious eyes. His lavender orbs instantly lit up, and he began petting the thrilled cat between her soft ears. "Aww, you have a kitty?!"

"I'th's Ryou's." Bakura corrected the pair, but neither seemed to be listening. Dusting everything had made his throat dry, so he led the two foreigners into the kitchen. Bakura filled up a glass of water for himself, while Malik looked around in approval of the décor. The third member of their group, however, was currently distracted.

Kiyoko managed to hop up onto the kitchen counter, and was presently playing a 'game' of sorts. Marik was crouched on the kitchen floor, just below the counter-top's edge. He waited for Kiyoko to look down, and then he would slowly raise his head so that just the tips of his blonde spikes were in the cat's view. She would then bat and paw at the soft tufts until the teen would lower his head again. Her slender tail would twitch with excitement as she waited for the tawny strands to re-appear. Then Marik would repeat the whole process, much to Kiyoko's delight.

Malik let out an 'awwww!' of approval. Bakura couldn't help but notice that both the cat _and_ the blonde seemed equally amused by this simple game.

Eventually Malik spoke up, his eyes still trained on the lively duo. "So, when's the surgery?"

Tired of being mostly intelligible, Bakura grabbed the old phone and typed his response. /Not sure. Doctor still needs to decide when I'm at 'the right stage' of healing./

"Well, at least you have a proper place to stay!" The shorter intruder motioned toward the silver-themed galley. "Stainless steel appliances? Very nice!"

Kiyoko had hopped down to get a drink from her water dish, leaving Marik to join the discussion.

"I agree- Ryou should make sure to count the silverware every day." The brawny troublemaker grinned at the others. The irritated thief didn't take the bait, instead switching the topic.

/So, how's things?/

Marik frowned. "Our whiny-*ss neighbors keep complaining that we're 'too loud'."

Bakura rolled his eyes- he knew they loved watching crazy action-films at top volume. /So turn down the d*mn TV./

Malik's face grew slightly redder, and Marik smirked. "Oh trust me; it's not the _TV_ that's-"

 _*_ _Whamph!_ _*_ The trio was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"Bakura? Kiyoko? I'm home!" A familiar voice called down the hallway. Ryou carefully took off his shoes by the door. He wasn't expecting the two dark figures that suddenly ran down the front entryway.

" _Ryou!"_ The blondes both grinned as the pale boy blinked. He wasn't expecting such an exuberant welcome. Soon Kiyoko and Bakura were also standing in the hallway. though Bakura kept his distance.  
"Oh! Hello, Malik and Marik! I wasn't expecting you two to drop by today! How are you?"

Bakura weaved his way past the dark-skinned duo and eagerly held up the phone screen to his landlord's face. /I can kick them out if you like./

But the kindly student just shook his head. "No, it's fine, Bakura- I wouldn't have told them the address if I wasn't alright with a few visitors!"

Ryou felt a faint giggle building in the back of his throat- Bakura looked almost disappointed.

"We were just checking up on Bakura- nice digs, by the way." Malik gestured towards the rest of the house.

The homeowner let out a modest blush. "Oh, thank you! Although it's Bakura who's really been keeping things spic-and-span." The still-uniformed student gave his tenant a shy smile. "He's barely been here a week, yet I don't know how I managed without him!"

The trio was suddenly interrupted by an impatient mew from the cat. She was looking upwards at Marik's face- or perhaps his hair.

"Oops, I almost forgot- have you met Kiyoko-kitty yet? She's quite friendly."

"So we gathered!" Malik grinned as he gently ran a dark palm over the grateful feline's back. He was rewarded with a rich purring sound. Kiyoko blinked when the petting stopped. She soon turned around, clearly hoping for more attention.

Marik tilted his head as he noticed the feline's back end. "Only three legs?"

Ryou nodded. "She was born that way. It doesn't bother her, though."

"She's adorable!" Malik knelt down and gave the happy feline more attention.

"You should see her when she's sleeping- although she's a little less cordial around dinnertime." Ryou smiled and looked around at the three friends. "Which reminds me, I was thinking of ordering pizza for tonight- would you and Marik like to join us?"

The promise of free, hot food was more than enough for the two blondes, and they hastily agreed. Bakura wasn't too annoyed- it was Ryou's house, after all. He didn't have much say when it came to guests (particularly as they were 'visiting' him).

Ryou went in the kitchen to order the food, while Malik and Marik looked over his film collection ("Geez, he's almost as bad as Bakura! How many gory movies does one guy need?!"). They picked out a few suspense-style action films. Soon the group enjoyed a great evening of suspenseful movies and delicious pizza. Three hours passed in relative amusement. Marik managed to get into an argument with Bakura over who would win in a fist-fight (Liam Neeson or Tom Cruise) which led to an impressive pillow fight that lasted until past 11 o'clock.

Eventually the two guests made their way back to their apartment. This left Ryou and Bakura to re-arrange the living room back to its original state (mercifully, nothing had been broken in the 'melee'). Ryou was just re-situating the various throw pillows when something strange caught his eye.

It looked like a thin piece of plastic sticking between the couch cushions. He gently tugged on the corner, and a small, re-useable sandwich bag popped out of the seat.

Ryou stared as he looked over the baggie's contents. There were a few individually wrapped lollipops- and a large amount of what looked like pastel tablets.

"Bakura."

"Hnn?" The bandaged teen turned to find an unusually serious-looking Ryou.

The landlord held out the clear, plastic baggie with a stern look. "Are these yours?"

Bakura's eyes widened as he took in the contents of the re-sealable bag. "No..." He stared in bewilderment before grabbing his phone. /What are they?/

Ryou gave him a skeptical look. "I may not dabble in drugs; but I do know what tablets look like- and I also know _why_ the lollipops might be in there as well."

The fair-haired house-cleaner quickly held out his hands in defense. /No, no- I mean, what _are_ they? I told you, I never dealt in drugs, and Malik and Marik- never.../ His eyes seemed to grow darker as his face paled. /No... they wouldn't.../ He looked at the baggie in trepidation.

There was an awkward silence between the two.

Ryou sighed. "I'm afraid we need to get to the bottom of this." He unlocked his own phone and dialed the two blondes, who were still fairly close by. They quickly came back over.

"Aww, you missed us already?!" Malik grinned as he and Marik stepped inside.

Ryou shook his head unhappily. "I'm afraid this is something more serious."

"Serious?" The bronzed pair blinked bemusedly at the student.

The solemn teen nodded and held up the baggie. "Do you know what these-" But Ryou was interrupted by a happy cry.

" _ **There**_ they are!" Malik quickly snatched the bag from Ryou's hand, opened it, and began downing the pastel tablets.

Marik jumped and raced over to the other blonde. "NO! Malik, don't you _dare_ _!_ "

"Oh no, oh no- do I call an ambulance?!" Ryou was nearly panicking as Marik finally managed to wrestle the bag away from Malik. "Will they kill him?!"

Marik groaned and covered his face with one tanned hand. "No, but you may want to call one anyway; seeing as how _ **I**_ might kill him."

"Whath _the hell_ are thosth?!" Bakura pointed at the see-through package.

Malik eagerly explained, his mouth still full of the strange digestibles. "They're a type of foreign candy- 'Marty's' or something. They're hard to get ahold of, but they taste great!" He seemed to be already experiencing a growing sugar-high.

" _And_ they're loaded with sugar. As in, they're almost  pure sugar." Marik looked very exasperated. He poked the other bronzed boy's arm in irritation. "Which _you_ aren't supposed to have."

Malik stuck out his (now pastel-colored) tongue and glared. "Well, _excuse me_ for enjoying some sweets! If it were up to you I'd never have _any_ sugar!"

"Damn right." Marik muttered. "Candy plus Malik equals insanity."

"So... they aren't drugs?" Ryou asked tentatively.

Marik frowned. "Drugs? No, they're just candies from abroad- here." He handed Ryou two pieces.

Ryou paused in nervous confusion, but before he could do anything else Bakura grabbed one and ate it.

"Blech." He shuddered and typed out his displeasure. /I hate cherry./ He turned to Ryou and gave him a strangely reassuring look. /It's definitely candy./

Ryou looked at the two crimson eyes before turning his gaze to the remaining 'pill' in his palm. He put it in his mouth. His eyes soon lit up and he let out an approving hum. "Mmm- grape! Wow, these are quite good!"

Malik nodded, "Yeah, but they're hard to get over here since they look like medication. Apparently some school kids got in trouble last year and all the parents made a fuss."

Ryou giggled. "Yes, I can see how that could happen."

"Do thell." Bakura remarked dryly.

The mystery solved, the two tanned youths headed home (again), leaving the white-haired pair to finish cleaning up the disheveled room. Ryou paused as he re-fluffed one of the throw pillows.

"Um, Bakura? I forgot to ask earlier, (what with our unexpected visitors) but why are there dozens of religious pamphlets all over the front lawn?"

/Oh, that's right- I guess someone forgot to give you the memo- apparently today was the rapture./

"I missed it?!" Bakura snickered as Ryou put on a farcical look of alarm. "Oh no... so that means I'm stuck here?!"

The other teen put on a deadpan look and shook his head. /Worse. You're stuck here with me./

Ryou dropped the act and shrugged with a grin. "Hmm... I can picture worse fates than being stuck with you." He raised on eyebrow in scrutiny. "Still, try not to give anyone else a fright- they could drop dead of a heart attack. And then what would we do?"

/Weekend at Bakura's?/

"NO."


	19. Devilish Guardian

(A/N: With regards to the last chapter's title and final joke- "Weekend at Bernie's" is a 1983 American comedy film where two co-workers find their boss has died, unnoticed, in his office. They then disguise him with sunglasses and proceed to party by using his car and credit cards. Hope that clears things up, and sorry for any confusion!).

It had barely been a month since Bakura Touzokou had moved into the Bakura household... yet it already felt more like home than anyplace else.

True, it wasn't exactly his dream calling to be a house-cleaner, but at least he was in a safe place for once. But more importantly, he felt like he was genuinely wanted. It was a novel feeling for the recovering teen. Kiyoko and her owner were always glad to see him, and Bakura wasn't 'kept out' or 'forbidden' from any area of the home. He did his best to keep things in good shape, as promised- he'd even worked out a 'cleaning routine' with different tasks set for different days. Bakura also managed to make different lunches and dinners for himself and his kind 'landlord'- although he wouldn't use the stove top unless absolutely necessary. Sandwiches, rice balls, and pasta often adorned the modest kitchen table. And Ryou always savored whatever his 'tenant' had created- well, save for one instance; in which Kiyoko had hopped on the counter and knocked over a container of salt without Bakura noticing. Ryou had only taken a bite of the pasta, before rushing to the sink to drink three cups of water in a row. But the indulgent teen bore no ill will against either the cat or the cook. He just chuckled before petting the bewildered young cat.

"Sorry, Kiyoko; but Bakura's definitely the better chef."

Which lead to a faint blush spreading across Bakura's half-covered face, which lasted while Ryou washed off the excess sodium from the noodles.

The next afternoon was a Monday, and everything seemed typical- at 3:40, Kiyoko was starting to pace near the front door, anticipating Ryou's arrival. School let out at 3:30, and the dedicated student usually made it back before 4:00.

The new house-guest, meanwhile, wasn't even watching the time. Instead, he was busy finishing washing the first floor windows. Bakura was holding a dirty cloth in one hand and a bottle of glass cleaner in the other. He'd just finished the last window, when he heard the sound of the home's land-line being called.

 _*Ring! Ring! Ring!*_

Naturally, the injured teen ignored it- he was still struggling to speak, and he knew it wasn't likely to be someone important. Sure enough, the ringing stopped- but then it started back up again.

 _*Ring! Ring! Ring!*_

Bakura frowned- it wasn't typical for someone to call back a second time after not receiving an answer. He was about to head over to the phone when there was a *BEEP!* as the answering machine activated. There was a few seconds of silence. Suddenly, a timid voice sounded from the speakerphone of the unit.

"B-Bakura? It's Ryou... um, I'm sorry to ask this, but could... could you possibly help me? I tried calling Malik and Marik, but they didn't pick up..." The boy sounded like he was struggling to speak both softly and coherently. "I-I'm sort of stuck in an odd place... I'm in an alley off the side of Yakimura's Pizza Joint- there's some guys after me, and I think they're going to find me soon- I-if you hear this, I could really use some help- _please!_ "

His carmine eyes widened in shock as the message ended. 'Sh*t- _Ryou!_ ' The reserved teen had spoken so deliberately, but there was no mistaking the desperation that had slipped past that last word.

Kiyoko recoiled in alarm as the only other resident in the house suddenly ran to the front hall. The white cat jumped backwards as the bandaged punk grabbed a black jacket off the wooden coat-stand. He threw on the coat and ran out the door, which closed shut behind him.

'I know where that place is... hold on, Ryou.' Wordlessly, the burned teen raced towards the western side of town. As he ran, he pulled the hood of the coat up to hide the bad side of his face.

He knew exactly where Yakimura's was- they had the best pepperoni-and-sausage pizza in town. But he also knew there weren't many places to hide around there. Which meant Ryou was in trouble if those creeps caught up to him.

A few blocks further, and he could see the sign for the popular pizza joint. But there was no sign of the white-haired student. 'Ryou must still be hiding in the alley-!'

There were several voices sounding from the other side of the restaurant, and Bakura felt his exposed brow furrow. The curses and insults he was hearing were certainly the kind of derision he'd expected someone to hurl at his 'landlord.' The infuriated punk turned past the old brick facade, barely noticing the smell of pizza drifting from the building.

Bakura felt his stomach drop when the alley came into view. A group of six or seven thugs were waiting underneath what seemed like an old-fashioned fire escape. The metal structure was badly rusted, and looked quite unstable. Meanwhile, a white head of hair could just be seen over the top of the railing.

'Ryou!'

Apparently, Ryou had managed to climb up a rusty, old fire-escape that had its hinged final steps down for some reason. He'd then pulled the bottom rungs up behind him, and now Ryou was holding them firmly in place so the bullies couldn't follow. But the first platform wasn't that high off the ground, and the punks were grabbing random garbage cans and palettes in the alley to build a crude 'staircase' to reach the panicked victim.

Meanwhile, the energized thugs were still shouting and cursing at their terrified target. Bakura even heard a few homophobic slurs being tossed around.

His fists tightened, and he snarled out one syllable: _**"Oy!"**_ It hurt his throat to yell, but thankfully it worked- the entire group of goons turned to stare at the newcomer.

"What the hell?!" One of the taller guys commented. "The f*** is this?!"

" _Leave him alone."_ It took every ounce of effort for Bakura's words to come out in a way that couldn't be misconstrued. He pointed upwards at the still-hiding figure on the fire escape.

The largest thug guffawed, clearly not intimidated by the stark intervention. "An' who're you, his little guard dog?!" The entire gang started laughing along, as if it was the single greatest joke ever told.

Bakura felt his bandages tense against his furrowing brow. 'A guard dog?' He decided these *ssholes needed a lesson in fear. The street brawler gave his most twisted grin, looking over each of the fools in turn. He then dramatically grabbed the edges of his wrappings and ripped them off with a flourish.

"Hn... **in that case,** _ **call me Cerberus**_ **."**

His voice was still graveled and rough, and when intentionally deepened, it sounded quite terrifying. The effect was instantaneous.

" _HOLY-!"_ The horrified punks nearly passed out at the sight- one of them started retching. Within a matter of moments every one of the gutless goons had fled.

There was a loud *clang!* as the trapped teen let go out of the metal rungs he'd so desperately been holding up. Ryou gasped in relief before quickly clambering down the rusted ladder, making his way to his concerned rescuer. He instantly wrapped his arms around the taller male, hugging his housemate gratefully. "Oh, _thank you_ , Bakura!"

The un-bandaged brawler hid his embarrassment by scolding the smaller teen. He didn't bother correcting his pronunciation- he knew Ryou could understand him.

"You're noth walking ohn yur own anthymore. Malik or Malik'll go wit when I cannut."

"But-"

"No 'buth's'- they're fwends, and they surl as hell woodn' mind beathing the sh*th out of guys who'd use _those_ wordths."

Ryou was about to protest, but he was still shaken by the entire incident. Eventually, he gave a resigned sigh and nodded once in acceptance. "Alright."

"Come on, leth's go home." Bakura quickly grabbed Ryou's now-dirty backpack (which had clearly been thrown against the alley wall earlier) and flung it over his shoulder like a spare coat.

The unusual pair walked down the rather empty sidewalks in silence. Eventually, Ryou couldn't hold back his curiosity. "So... 'Cerberus?"

Bakura grabbed the old cell phone in his right pocket. His voice was rapidly tiring from the over-use and forced bass tone. /He's the dog that guards the entrance to Hell in ancient fairy tales./

"Oh, _I_ knew that. I just didn't take you for a reader of Greek mythology."

"..." Bakura turn away, feeling a bit chagrined at having been caught. /I... might have picked up some of your old Playstation 2 video games when I was done cleaning./

Ryou grinned. "I wondered why my 'Kingdom Hearts 2' case was left out."

/Don't tell Malik and Marik. ...please./

"Relax- it's not like I have any violent games in my collection anyway. You can always claim desperation from 'Assassin's Creed' withdrawal." Ryou added playfully.

"..." Bakura glanced around, almost as if to ensure that no one else was walking down their particular stretch of sidewalk. He then furtively showed Ryou the cell screen. /By the way... how do you get past the 'Scene of Fire' part of the Timeless River level? I can't beat those damn frenzied cars!/

"Well... since you saved me, I _guess_ I can tell you." The un-scarred teen winked, giggling when Bakura stuck out his tongue in mocking response. "I had trouble with that level, too- you have the 'Thundara' spell by now, right?"

Bakura nodded, not even realizing that his jacket's hood was still pulled down. The two headed back to Ryou's home at a leisurely pace. Neither of the pair noticed that the un-bandaged teen was mostly overlooked by the other pedestrians.


	20. Decisive Donor

(~A/N: Unfortunately this one's another really short chapter, but I'll try to post the next one a bit earlier. And of course, thank you for your time and patience!~).

"-With dissolving stitches, then? Ok, so would there need to be a follow-up visit within a certain period of time?"

Ryou had been on the phone for a good half hour. Bakura hovered tensely behind him, not sure if his input was required.

"Uh-huh... clear fluids only, starting 8 hours prior... and no talking for 12 hours prior for Bakura... ok, and the closest entrance is located where, again? Oh, right- Non-Emergency Unit 2, by the staff parking lot." It seemed the white-haired Samaritan was only confirming what they had both been told before. The surgery to transplant Ryou's donated skin over the burned section of Bakura's face would be a fairly basic operation. Still, the semi-mute patient felt a sense of foreboding- no surgery was without risks, and sometimes his 'landlord' seemed a bit... naive.

Indeed, Ryou didn't seem the least bit perturbed as he wrapped up the call. The smile on his face was genuine as he finished the conversation. "Wonderful, see you in a week!"

There was a soft *click!* as he placed the land-line back on the receiver. The homeowner then turned to his guest, his grin still wide. "Well, I think we're all set!"

Bakura felt several misgivings rising in his chest. "You don' hap to do thith, you kno."

"Oh, I know." The doe-eyed teen restated. "But I joined the donor program in the hospital shortly after..." He trailed off, not wanting to reflect on the accident that took half his family. "-and now, years later, they finally have someone who needs something from me, and I can help." His face grew slightly tinted as he shyly admitted, "besides, if anyone is going to get a part of me... I'm glad it's you."

Bakura felt his own face flush slightly, but before he could reply, the land-line began ringing again.

Ryou blinked before slowly grabbing the phone. "Hmm? I didn't think the surgery co-coordinator left anything out earlier..." Bakura silently cursed his luck, waiting for the hospital staff to state whatever they'd forgotten to mention before. But before the shorter youth could even respond, two loud voices sounded from the plastic handset.

" _Hey, you two goofs just gonna let the phone ring all day?!"_

Ryou chuckled as he recognized the tones. "Oh, hello Marik and Malik!"

Bakura felt his left eyebrow start twitching spastically.'Of course.' The seething punk made a mental note to strangle the two blonde numbskulls at the next opportunity.

" _We just wanted to wish you 'good luck' with the surgery!"_

Ryou paused, clearly bewildered by the apparent clairvoyance of the foreign duo. "But- we just got the confirmation call a few minutes ago- how on Earth did you-?"

" _Weeelll... let's just say we know which grapes to squeeze in a jam to get our information..."_

'Grapes? Jam?'Bakura was lost for a moment, before remembering that grapes were purple in color. He chuckled at the hidden insinuation. 'Ok, maybe I'll let them live a little longer.' He smirked at the thought of that dimwitted nurse being pestered by both of the blondes. 'Ah... it's like poetic revenge.'

Ryou didn't seem to catch on, but he didn't question the two further. "Right... well, thank you for the well-wishes! Although everything should go smoothly, now that the insurance part has been smoothed out..."

As his 'landlord' carried on, Bakura noticed Kiyoko staring up at him expectantly from the kitchen table. He began softly stroking the luxurious fur, and the white cat trilled with delight. She turned sideways, revealing the missing leg that was never actually missed.

'Then again...' The burned punk pondered as he continued petting the pleased feline, 'maybe he _does_ know what he's doing.'


	21. Museum Mischief

Friday came around without any further 'incidents.' True to his word, Bakura insisted on acting as a 'bodyguard' for his landlord; walking him to and from his school every weekday. Ryou seemed a bit embarrassed at first, but his protective escort insisted it was all just a part of his 'handyman duties.'

True, Bakura Touzokou didn't like seeing others being bullied. But he also felt a bit of personal pride whenever Ryou acknowledged his efforts with grateful words. The former street punk wasn't used to such niceties... the only times he'd even been addressed by his name in foster care was when he was being blamed for something (whether he was guilty or not). He'd almost taken to resenting his name by the time he'd run away. But just hearing the appreciative tones of his new landlord led him to slowly re-evaluate that bitterness.

Ryou's words also gave him a bit of a motivation. He'd even secretly scoured the 'Want Ads' in the local paper the other day. But nothing seemed suitable for his skills.

'Sh*t.' The white-haired deviant frowned as he dropped the current newspaper back on the kitchen table. 'It's the same as yesterday... they all want college degrees. And I don't even have a high-school diploma... damn.'

Perhaps sensing distress, Kiyoko hopped up onto one of the kitchen chairs and gave an inquiring mew.

"Prrr-ow?"

The calm and patient demeanor of the feline reminded Bakura of her owner. He sighed and gave her a soft pat. "'Snothing, Kiyoko. 'Mfine." The tired youth slumped down in the opposite chair. "Justh thinkin'..."

The despondent job-hunter continued to absentmindedly pet the pleased cat until he heard the front door opening. Bakura jumped slightly before quickly hiding the newspaper beneath the other mail on the table.

"Bakura? I'm home!"

"Kithen!" He called out his location, pleased to hear that his voice was finally getting some volume.

"Hey, Bakura! I stopped by the shops on Namura Street, and I bought you something!" Ryou smiled impishly as he held up a brown bag with a faint logo.

"Er, tanks." Bakura's voice still sounded like he was gargling gravel, but Ryou seemed to get the gist anyway.

"You're welcome!"

Bakura pulled out- well, something. He was confused- what the heck was this thing? It seemed to be made of thick black fabric; but it was far too small to be a shirt or pants.

Ryou grinned. "I thought you might like to wear this the next time we go outside!" He took the object from Bakura's hands and began positioning it on Bakura's head.

'Ok, gonna go with 'hat' then.'

Ryou nearly dragged him into the bathroom before gesturing to the mirror. "I thought black would look really cool on you- especially with your eyes and hair color. Oh, and if you want we can get stuff to put on it- like patches or safety pins."

Bakura turned to gaze apprehensively at his reflection. He was enjoyably surprised by what he saw.

The hat looked like a clipped beanie, only with a short brim attached to the front. It had a black color that looked rather bold when seated on top of his stark-silver hair. The material had a slightly 'roughened' look to it, as if it had already been worn many times before.

It certainly wasn't a look that he would ever have picked out for himself, but it wasn't bad. And with the brim lazily pulled down over his right eye, it covered most of his burns (the parts not touched by the distressed fabric fell under the brim's shadow).

Ryou was beaming up at his guest, clearly dying to know what he thought.

Bakura couldn't resist letting his guard down around his double. He managed a rough grin and tousled the other's hair.

"Perlfect."

Ryou gave a light laugh before re-shaping his hair. "Oh good, I'm glad you like it! By the way, I was wondering if you'd be up for a little outing tomorrow..."

The swathed teen gulped- he knew the weekend started the next day, and any place they went would likely be more crowded. But he gave a single nod as he waited for Ryou to explain.

"I thought of someplace rather quiet that I think you'll enjoy... it's right along the most popular bus route, so we wouldn't be stuck there if you don't like it..."

Bakura was still rather uneasy, but Ryou assured him they wouldn't be out any longer than he wanted to be. So the next afternoon, the two white-haired youths hopped on the #71 Domino bus line to their 'mystery' destination. Bakura kept nervously tugging on the brim of his new hat, hoping it covered enough of his face. Less than ten minutes later, they reached the stop that Ryou had in mind.

"Ta-da!" The smaller teen gestured proudly to the ornate old building lying in front of them. "Presenting, the _Domino City Museum_!"

The former street thug stared blankly at the institution. He didn't need to voice his disbelief; his lopsided look said it all.

"Oh, come on, Bakura; at least give it a try- I promise you won't die of boredom!"

Bakura was still a bit annoyed as Ryou paid for their tickets- seriously? A _museum_?! But the outpatient found himself oddly entertained by the comments Ryou made on everything as they passed through the exhibits. Sometimes his remarks were serious but weird; other times he was clearly joking. Occasionally some things fell in-between, but Bakura didn't mind- it was still amusing. He soon found himself chuckling along with his witty 'tour guide's' observations.

"It says here that Ancient Romans used coins as currency- and they had holes in the middle so that nobles could sew them to their clothes! Wow, that's kinda gangster!"

"It says here that some penguins mate for life- but surely they must do other things, don't they?"

"There's a lot of foreign opals- wow, there's a really big one from Brazil. Hmm, when they polish it, is that called a 'Brazilian Wax?"

"'Please touch this exhibit only with your eyes'- well, that sounds painful and unsanitary."

There were hardly any other visitors that day, so the pair were free to speak as loud as they wanted.

Bakura was startled when he realized how much fun he was actually having- in a _museum_ , of all places! But Ryou had a knack for pointing out the more interesting exhibits, and he poked fun at the boring ones.

They ate a late lunch in the museum cafeteria, before moving on to the hall of ancient Grecian statues.

Bakura actually made most of the jokes in this hall, mainly about the statues being 'stoned' or 'hard.'

He loved the way Ryou blushed at the more off-color remarks. Despite the other's crudeness, he still laughed, and encouraged Bakura to keep making them up. Which the other boy gladly did- the flush on the pale angel's face was adorable.

'Eh?' There was a strange noise from the overhead speakers on the gilded ceiling. Both the pale teens looked upwards as a middle-aged female voice sounded over the PA system:

 _"Attention patrons: the time is now 4:35 and the museum will be closing in 25 minutes._

 _Thank you for visiting, and please come back soon."_

Ryou gasped and glanced around quickly. "Oh, we really lost track of the time! I almost forgot to show you my favorite exhibit- we have to hurry!"

Bakura was a bit taken aback when Ryou grabbed his hand and guided him to a different hall.

He was even more surprised when they reached the displays and the boy didn't let go.

Not that he minded.

"I've always loved looking around the 'Hall of Gems'- they've got some breathtaking samples, including a priceless Canary diamond!" Ryou explained, his enthusiasm well-evident. "Have you ever seen a Hackmanite stone changing color? It's amazing!"

Bakura pulled out his old cell (they'd talked quite a lot during lunch) and quickly typed out: /You mean the stone actually changes colors?/

" _Yes!_ It's incredible! Oh, I have to show you the exhibit- it cycles every few minutes, so you can see the changes from dark purple to pale blue and back again!" The over-eager teen managed to pull the other towards the farthest corner of the exhibit. Bakura pulled his new hat slightly lower as he was guided through the mostly-empty gem hall. But his self-conscious tendencies were forgotten as he stared in awe at the color-changing Hackmanite.

"It's got such a strange name, doesn't it? But it's beautiful..." Ryou gazed at the vibrant gem as the display's back-lighting slowly turned from 'day' to 'night' settings.

Indeed, the stone's color changed from a dazzling, rich purple to an almost eerie bluish-white in a matter of moments. "Quarried in Quebec, this Hackmanite stone is a rare form of Sodalite that changes from deep violet to almost pure white depending on the surrounding UV rays."

/Fascinating.../ Even the cynical outpatient was awed by the strange gemstone. /Although you're right about the names- 'Sodalite?'/

Ryou turned to face his partner with faux-seriousness. "Well, everyone says you should only drink 'Soda Light' when you're looking to get stoned."

Bakura let out a rough groan at the bad joke, but grinned at the giggling punster anyway. /Nerd./

"You say that like it's a bad thing! Oh, and here's the birthstone displays!"

The pale pair shifted their attention to the glass cabinets only a few feet behind them- Ryou began scanning the middle stones with interest.

"Hmm... let's see... my birthday is in September... that means my birthstone is Sapphire."

Bakura was disappointed when his landlord let go of his hand, but watched as Ryou knelt down in front of the display. His delicate index finger trailed over the etched descriptions to the appropriate engraving. "Here we are... 'Sapphire'." Directly above lay a very deep blue stone behind thick viewing glass. "The sapphire is said to represent wisdom, calmness, stability, and serenity."

/Sounds fitting/.

Ryou smiled and shrugged before adding: "By the way, when's your birthday, Bakura?"

Bakura wordlessly pointed to the first sign that read: 'January- Garnet Stone.' A dark red stone, almost blood-like in color, sat above the etching.

"Hmm, the Garnet stone- 'said to represent strength, energy, passion, and protection'." Ryou looked up and gave a light laugh of amusement. "They sound almost like opposites, don't you think?"

Bakura smirked. /Don't they say 'opposites attract' or something?/

The other boy gave a grin, his face mildly flushed. "Something like that." His smile dropped as he glanced back at the red stone's description. "Wait, there's more- 'the Garnet stone can also bring out hostility and intense emotions."

Puzzled, Bakura glanced back at the short etching. He couldn't see where those words were engraved. /Wait, where are you even reading.../

A faint smirk appeared as Ryou continued talking. "It also indicates that the bearer is impatient and brash, prone to impulse decisions, and secretly cuddling with stuffed animals every night..."

/THAT'S NOT ON THE PLATE!/

Snickering, the shorter youth shook his head. "Sorry, Bakura, I couldn't resist."

/Oh yeah?/ The amused outpatient couldn't hide his own grin. /Then wait 'till I read _yours_ again- I think I missed a few-/

"The museum is closing in three minutes. Please make your way to the main exit using the staircase to the right of this exhibit hall." A bored, middle-aged security guard listlessly intoned toward the two laughing visitors.

"Oops! We lost track of the time again- sorry, sir!" Ryou grabbed ahold of Bakura's hand again as they headed towards the ornate staircase. He gave a somewhat mischievous smile at his cohort as they made it to the museum's main exit. "Sorry, Bakura- looks like we don't have time for you to re-read my birthstone properties after all!"

/Tch-/ The only mildly-annoyed punk typed as they stepped outside. /You planned that, didn't you?/

Declining a direct answer, Ryou looked sideways, his face slightly tinted. "Well, I guess that just means we'll have to come back some other time- seeing how you didn't 'die of boredom' today, right?"

Bakura gently squeezed the pale digits resting against his right palm. /Only if I have the same tour guide./


	22. Distressing Dishonesty

'This is it... no turning back.' Two scarlet orbs glanced anxiously as the other white-haired teen continued speaking into the plastic handset. 'Sh*t, this is happening faster than I expected... where did the time go?!'

There was a soft *click!* as Ryou Bakura carefully hung up the land-line phone. He took a deep breath before turning to face his guest.

"Well, everything's ready." The shy teen nervously confirmed. "We'll check in tomorrow around 8:30 or so in the Pre-Op Ward on the second floor, where they'll go over any last-minute changes before we're put under sedation..."

'I still can't believe I agreed to this...' The muted thief shook his head as his landlord trailed on.

"Now let's see..." Ryou began quietly counting off the various tasks on his slender fingers, "...the plants have all been watered... Honda promised to stop by and feed Kiyoko twice a day (he's good with animals)... and Malik and Marik both offered to take in our mail!" The optimistic student finished his tallying with a soft smile, as if he was pleased by the generosity of their friends.

Bakura suspected that the two blondes has only volunteered so they could surreptitiously spy on Ryou's personal business, but he decided not to spoil the mood. Instead, the scarred teen took out the ancient cell phone he'd been given months ago and typed: /So... I can't talk for how long?/

"The doctors said that you shouldn't speak for the next 12 hours before and following the surgery, as they don't want you aggravating your throat. I _think_ it's in case they need to use a breathing tube during your surgery?"

'Yeah, right... then why the 'after' part as well? They probably just don't want to put with my cursing.' The anxious outpatient bitterly reflected to himself.

Ryou noticed the conflicted look on Bakura's face, and decided to try a different tactic. He took the old phone off the receiver a second time. "Well, since tomorrow's gonna be a big day, I figured maybe we could do something special tonight." Bakura's left eyebrow raised as he listened to his landlord's proposition. "I found a valid coupon online- how does a movie and a large Pizza Pete's meat-lover's pizza sound?"

The skeptical punk snorted. /You're just trying to cheer me up./

"Well, if it's not working~..." Ryou trailed off teasingly, his hand lowering the old phone back onto the base.

Bakura quickly covered the other half of the set, preventing the amused landlord from setting the phone down. /No no, that's fine- won't know if it works unless we try, right?/

Ryou gave a light laugh before dialing the local number listed on the coupon printout. "I'll handle the pizza, then. Why don't you go pick out a movie for us?"

The mute guest nodded once before walking towards the living room. A dark, wooden bookshelf on the left wall held a wide accumulation of films. Although it was a rather impressive collection, Bakura wasn't sure what he was in the mood for, and he took his time deciding. At least he was spared the anxiety of finding something Ryou would like- his father was so rarely home that they were almost entirely his son's choices.

Half an hour passed. He was just about to tell Ryou to pick instead, when a black spine with white lettering caught his eye. Bakura pulled the DVD out and glanced at the cover. 'The Phantom of the Opera.'

He noticed the white mask on the man's face- it was half-covered, like his own.

For some reason he couldn't explain, the taller of the pair felt compelled to watch the film. Ryou seemed a little surprised by his choice, but the homeowner just stated that it was one of the only romantic films he owned. Then the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of their freshly-baked pizza.

Bakura put the DVD in the player while Ryou paid the delivery driver. Soon the pale pair were happily enjoying several scrumptious slices, each seated on the same couch. Though the two look-alikes were both watching the film, their behaviors were quite different. Ryou took the time to carefully dab his mouth after every other bite, while Bakura nearly devoured his half of the pie in one frenzied go. Ryou had also opened a large bottle of dark cola, and had poured them both liberally tall tumblers.

The movie itself wasn't all that bad- for a love story, at least. Bakura found himself empathizing with the Phantom on more than one level. Raoul, though- pfth. What a boring tool.

Ryou appeared more transfixed by the film. He kept leaning forwards on the plush couch, staring with wide eyes as the characters expressed their souls through song.

The TV cast a strange glow on the pizza-munching pair. Bakura occasionally glanced over at the part-owner of the home.

The light from the screen was a rather vivid blue- on most people it would have made them look gaunt and sickly. But Ryou's skin was fair and cool-toned; and his pure, white hair only echoed the light. The glow seemed to enhance his features. His soft, brown eyes were shining, and his skin seemed to be surrounded by stars reflected off the surface of a clear lake.

He looked like an angel. Bakura felt like he was sitting close to a treasured jewel; a pure, dazzling gem.

And he really wanted to feel that precious frame wrapped around his own.

Ryou was completely unaware of his guest's crisis. He kept his gaze focused on the musical film.

Bakura was finding it harder and harder to breathe. 

_'Alright, keep it together, Bakura:_ _j_ _ust go slow."_

The burned boy shifted and then lifted his arms, making it seem like he had to stretch. He threw them backwards, pausing for a moment. Ryou didn't seem to have taken notice, so Bakura slowly brought his left arm down. His right arm, however, he placed on top of the couch back, lined up just behind Ryou's neck.

He started to slide his arm casually down, just skimming the skin, when Ryou suddenly stood up.

Bakura nearly smacked his palm to his forehead- great, he'd freaked him out. The first guy he'd liked in ages, and he'd blown it with one lame move.

But every once in a while Lady Luck feels like being generous. Apparently his host had only gotten up to grab up the remote on the coffee table.

"Sorry, but I _love_ this song." He pointed the remote at 'The Music of the Night' scene and raised the volume. Ryou then placed the device back on the table, but when he sat back down, he was MUCH closer to Bakura than he'd been before. They were almost touching. It was rather daring of the modest boy. The TV screen gave only a faint light, but Bakura thought he saw a light tinge of pink across Ryou's face.

Although his smile was far less cocky than normal, the red-eyed punk slowly moved his right arm downward. It drifted from the back of the couch towards Ryou's shoulders.

A faint shiver ran through the Ryou's skin when he felt the arm gently wrap around his back. There was horrible millisecond in which Bakura waited to see what Ryou would do this time- would he get up and leave? Hit him? Yell at him?

But evidently the shorter boy was quite pleased with the contact, and leaned into it without hesitation. Bakura felt his own chest jump with joy. _'Sh*t... calm down... don't wanna die of a heart attack right before the surgery...'_ The thrilled youth tried to calm his heartbeat as warmth radiated from the soft skin beneath his own.

The outpatient had nearly re-composed himself, when Ryou boldly shifted his upper torso. Bakura almost jumped as he felt the other youth lean towards the opposite couch end. Now the attractive landlord was leaning against the bandaged teen's chest, the top of his pure hair just resting under the other's chin. Ryou let out a faint little sigh of contentment as he completely relaxed against his tenant.

 _'SH*T.'_

It was obvious that his landlord had done this on purpose, but right now Bakura couldn't care less. He could scarcely breathe, much less control the erratic pounding that was no doubt his soon-to-be-failing heart. As he felt the heat from the slender, soft body lying across his, he couldn't help but notice a faint, sweet scent. He casually leaned downwards and lightly sniffed at Ryou's pure-white hair.

The shining tendrils smelled like fresh cream and strawberries- a warm, sweet note.

It suited him.

Half an hour later, Ryou was still leaning comfortably against the bandaged teen's chest, his eyes trained on the screen but his other senses enraptured by Bakura's body. The warmth of his chest, the sound of his (slightly labored) breathing, and the comforting feel of his thin-yet-strong limbs on his side...

Another half-hour flew by, and the movie finished. The pair quietly watched as the end credits rolled by, neither really taking any of the words in. Ryou was just starting to yawn when Bakura startled him with an unexpected question on his phone.

/Raoul, or the Phantom?/

"Huh?" Ryou titled his head upwards, not quite getting his guest's meaning.

/Who would you pick, Raoul or the Phantom?/

Ryou blushed. "Oh, you mean if **I** was Christine?" The bandaged boy nodded wordlessly. "Hmm... well, that's a hard question- I mean, obviously the Phantom is wholly devoted to her- Raoul didn't even contact her for years. But the Phantom did kill people, which is really bad; but he did it for Christine, but I guess that still doesn't excuse it..." Ryou thoughtfully placed an index finger to his chin as he mused aloud.

Bakura was starting to regret even asking the question- he just wanted a name, not a damn ethics dissertation!

"...so doesn't that make him not as bad as they were? But still, it's quite a moral quandary..."

Wait. Was the other boy even thinking in terms of romance, or just ethics and justice?!

"...so I suppose I'd have to choose based on personality, and given what we see in the movie, I think I would probably choose the-"

 _*RING! RING!*_

Bakura may have been a former filthy street thug, but he still doubted he'd ever done anything bad enough to deserve _this_ level of torture. He refrained from hitting his own forehead as Ryou slipped gracefully off his lap.

"Oops, that's my cell- excuse me-" Ryou quickly checked the ID before whispering to his guest: _"_ _Father_ _always forgets about the time difference."_ "Hello father, how are you?"

Annoyed by the loss of the lovely, scented warmth, Bakura remained motionless as the leaseholder's son kept making random conversation.

But something seemed odd. Bakura started to noticed that as much as Ryou said, there was still quite a lot that he _wasn't_ saying. The pale punk listened carefully as the other youth gradually wrapped up the international conversation.

"Mm-hmm, yes; 4 exactly... okay, then I hope you have a great week- love you too, father! Goodbye!"

Ryou sighed as he finally set down his cell. "Sorry about that... father tends to check in every couple of days to see what's going on here."

/Left quite a bit out, didn't you?/

The shy teen had started walking back towards the couch, but he paused as he read the typed words. "W-what do you mean?"

Bakura looked meaningfully into his host's eyes as he held up the aging cell phone again. /Why didn't you mention anything about tomorrow?/

"Oh, well..." The homeowner's son nervously replied, his voice trailing off awkwardly. "I figured since he's so far away, and there's not really much that he could do; and I don't want him to worry..."

The punk's eyes widened in skepticism. /You didn't even tell him about the surgery?!/

"Er, no... I mean, truth be told... he doesn't really know about... anything." Ryou gestured vaguely towards the other teen.

/You mean me./

"..."

The darker teen sighed. He could foresee some serious repercussions in the future coming from his host's 'not-so-little-white-lie.'

/Ryou, you have to tell him. What happens when he comes home and finds that you're letting someone else live with you? Won't he jump to the wrong conclusion without any prior knowledge?/

But Ryou only shook his head from side to side as sat back down on the couch. "It's not likely..."

Bakura felt confused as he remembered their previous conversations in the hospital. /But... I thought you said your father's ultra-conservative?/

Ryou tilted his head downwards as he spoke. "No; I mean, it's not likely that he'll suddenly come _home_..."

Bakura watched uneasily, noticing just how heartbroken the other male sounded as he explained. Ryou's mouth was stretched in a grim line, and he sounded like he was on the verge of breaking down. "He's... he's never home." Two watery, chestnut eyes turned towards the outpatient, silently pleading. "Bakura... I haven't seen my father in person, in three years." Ryou's lower lip trembled as he explained. "He's _always_ gone. He's the only family I have left, yet sometimes..."

The overwrought youth's voice dropped to a tremulous whisper as he admitted his deepest fear. "Sometimes... it feels like I've lost him too." Crystalline tears began racing their way down two ivory cheeks. "I-I even worry that I'll forget what he looks like." More tears. "I-I just hate being alone all the time- not knowing _when_ I'll see him again..." A soft sob. "... _ **i**_ _ **f**_ I'll see him again..." Ryou's voice finally gave out as he gave in to the tears and pain overtaking his soul.

Bakura had never been the best at consoling others- his social skills were _lacking_ , to say the least. But he instinctively wrapped his arms around the lonely angel, and held the trembling figure in a protective embrace.

"S-s-sorry... I jus' d-don't want to be alone..."

The burned teen tried to make a calming noise before mumbling quietly, "I'm heele."

"H-hey, t-the doctor said _no talking!_ " Ryou hiccuped as he playfully chastised the burn victim. The shorter boy let out a half-chuckle as he wiped his damp face with his own sleeve. A moment later, he glanced back at the well-meaning punk, a wide smile now adorning his face. "Thank you, Bakura."

Glad to see the joyous look back on the optimistic volunteer's face, Bakura gave a teasing smirk before loudly declaring: "Noth a pwoblem."

Which led to Ryou planting a throw pillow across the unburned portion of his face, leading to a long pillow fight between the white-haired companions.

Slowly, the stars grew faint, and the first rays of dawn trickled across the quiet living room. The early beams of light eventually made their way across the same couch, falling on the sleeping forms of two smiling youths.


	23. Recline and Dash

(~A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter; I'll try to post the next one a bit sooner! Thanks for reading!~)

"Mmm..." Ryou Bakura let out a contented purr as he nestled against the soft fleece blanket.

'So warm... and cozy... hmm?' The sleepy teen was momentarily baffled by the feeling of something solid beneath his chest- something firm, but flexible. His fingers lightly probed until he recognized a set of pectoral muscles.

'Oh!' Two hickory-hued eyes widened as the cheeks beneath them grew flushed. He lifted himself slightly off the other torso, his mind still half-asleep. 'Oh dear, I forgot about last night... I started crying, and I suppose Bakura... Bakura must've held me all through the night...' His face's tone now rivaling a tomato, the embarrassed youth noticed that the other teen still had his arms wrapped gently around his form.

'Oh my...' Ryou quietly mulled over his options, knowing that any movement could awaken his dozing companion. The mindful homeowner sighed before laying his head back down on the softly rising and falling chest. 'Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to stay like this... a _little_ longer...' He could just make out the steady thumping of his housemate's heartbeat. It was very soothing, and soon the gentle rhythm had almost lulled Ryou back to sleep.

But just as he felt himself starting to slip back into dreamland, he felt something tugging at the corner of his mind. Some nagging little thought kept bothering him, and wouldn't let him fully relax. Annoyed, the former volunteer tried to sort through the random facts drifting through his head. 'Wait... today's supposed to be special... but I can't remember why...' Ryou's internal monologue was broken by a loud yawn, and he felt the body beneath his stirring. 'But something's happening today... something important- at the hospital-'

" _ **SH*T!"**_

Bakura had never heard Ryou swear so loudly before, and for a good five seconds he thought he'd somehow slept over at Malik and Marik's.

" **BAKURA!** _Bakura, wake up!_ We overslept! We have to go! NOW! _Hurry_! _HURRY!_ " Ryou began frantically darting about, grabbing their overnight bags and paperwork. "Oh no, oh no, and we've missed the last 318 bus before 9:00...we'll never make it to the hospital before 8:30!"

Bakura suddenly tossed the frazzled Ryou his cell phone before elaborating. /Here. Call Malik and Marik- they can get us there faster than a cab./

Unsure if this was a wise idea, but knowing their situation, Ryou hesitantly dialed the two Egyptians. 'Something must have changed recently...' The last he'd heard, they didn't even own a car. But less than ten minutes later, the bronzed pair were waiting outside in a shabby maroon sedan.

Knowing the rules of a gift horse, Ryou didn't ask any questions as Malik helped him lift the overnight bags into the trunk.

Marik began making jokes from the driver's seat. "Hey, welcome aboard the Shabby Egyptian express! This magic carpet can go from 0 to 60 mph in just ten minutes!"

Ryou hastily slid into the back seat, Bakura soon joining him on the right side. Malik slammed the trunk before clambering back into the passenger's seat. "Ready, babe!"

Ryou had barely managed to latch his seatbelt when Marik suddenly put the car in gear. The surprised teen let out a yelp as the halting vehicle lunged forward. He held onto his seatbelt for dear life while Bakura glared at the madcap driver.

Marik remained oblivious to Bakura's stares, instead patting the faded grey dashboard with pride. "She's _great_ , isn't she? We still haven't decided on a name, but Malik's thinking of christening her 'Ol' Betsy.'"

"Wait, so this is _your_ car?" Ryou asked, his voice somewhat tense as he struggled to find something to grab onto.

"Yep!" Marik grinned from the driver's seat. "She may not look like much, but I got her for a great price!"

/You paid money for this heap?/ Bakura snorted as he typed a message for Malik to read aloud for his boyfriend's benefit. /How did you even get the cash- wait, did you rob someone?!/

"Tch- not at all! I recently got promoted to supervisor."

Malik winked at his partner before declaring. "I've always said you were more than an ordinary visor!"

Bakura snarled before sharing his latest message. /You know you deserve to die for that joke alone./

Ryou couldn't read the cell screen from his position, but he managed to voice a shaky compliment towards Marik. "Oh wow, congratulations!"

"Yeah, the previous supervisor finally got busted for selling meth out the back of the store, and since I'm the only one the higher-ups _don't_ believe is on drugs, I got the job!"

Ryou's eyes widened nervously, while Bakura only typed: /Wait- _h_ _ow the_ _h*ll_ do your co-workers act if _you're the_ _ **only one**_ who _isn't_ suspected of being high?!/

But before Marik could answer, there was a loud screech as he applied the breaks. Ryou let out another yelp as he was thrown forwards against the aging seatbelt. Bakura flung out his arm to stop the youth from completely slamming against the safety device. Ryou dazedly mumbled a 'thank you' before unsteadily reaching for the door handle. They had stopped right outside the main entrance of Domino General's intake building.

"Ah-ha!" The driver cackled triumphantly as he pointed to the half-lit dashboard clock. "It's only 8:25- we're five minutes early! Pay up, honey-buns!" Marik grinned as he gestured to his annoyed partner.

Malik stuck out his tongue as he reluctantly handed over a crumpled $5 bill. "I _still_ can't believe you made it here that fast..."

/Hey, you alright?/ Bakura held up the phone screen as soon as he'd finished scrambling out of the backseat. Malik had already unloaded their bags, and only gave them a cheerful wave before flying off with his sweetheart.

Ryou's face seemed a little green, but otherwise he looked fine. He nodded before shakily adding, "L-l-let's not do that again."

/Agreed./ Bakura slipped his left hand into Ryou's right before guiding his donor towards the front doors. /Come on, let's get our butts safely inside before Marik decides to back up and try some wheelies./


	24. Heartening Hands

The Domino General receptionist quickly gave them the number of the receiving room where they could wait for the pre-op nurses.

"Ward C, room 213, on the far right of the East wing." Ryou repeated the directions aloud as they walked together. He glanced sideways at his (temporarily mute) associate. "Well, here we go."

Bakura tried to return his companion's reassuring smile, but he felt his stomach twist anxiously.

Truth be told, Bakura had never even undergone a minor surgery before- sure, he'd gotten a few scrapes and bruises in his street brawls. But whenever he'd gotten off worse in a fight, he'd had either Malik or Marik to help stitch him up.

'Not that a doctor could do much worse than those two...' The scarred teen reluctantly reminded himself. 'At least these scrub-wearing fools have a reputation to keep up... well, that and their malpractice insurance...'

"Oh, we're here!" Ryou suddenly pointed as they came upon a pale blue doorway. The metal center plate simply read, '213 C'. The cheerful donor turned the handle before glancing backwards, his eyes full of emotion. "Bakura... are you ready?"

Though his guts were still writhing, Bakura gave a firm nod before following the other teen over the threshold.

The room was very sparse- apparently it was reserved solely for pre-operative preparations. There were two twin beds with white linens, spaced only a few feet apart from each other. A green dividing curtain was pulled back between them, and each had a small bedside table with a metal desk-lamp on top.

Though there were clearly two different areas set up, the white-haired youths sat side-by-side on the nearest mattress as they waited. A red-haired orderly suddenly poked her head in, smiling approvingly at the quietly waiting teens.

"The nurses will be in shortly to apply the antiseptics and give you your instructions." Just as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone.

Ryou began glancing idly about the bare room. It was rather bland- not a single picture or window to brighten the place. 'Rather poor design on someone's part- _oh_!'

Ryou nearly jumped when he felt a clammy warmth slowly envelope his right hand. He turned to find that his 'guest' had taken his right hand into his left. Ryou felt the warm skin flinching beneath his own, and he knew his 'housemate' was out of his element.

The kind student decided a little pep-talk couldn't hurt. "Y'know, Bakura..." The former volunteer began, "I've been doing some research lately, and most people who suffer third-degree burns like you did... well, they rarely survive." The smaller youth appeared to be growing shyer with every word, and he tried not to look into the scarlet eyes now staring at his own. "Um, you're quite incredible, and I just wanted to say that... well..." Ryou's head seemed to shrink into his shoulders as he quietly admitted, "I'm, um... really glad you came into my life."

Bakura knew he wasn't supposed to verbally reply, but he gently squeezed the smaller hand within his own. He used his other hand to make the 'thumbs-up' gesture, before using the same large digit to point to himself in agreement.

'Me too.'

There was a sudden set of sounds from down the hall, and the two assumed the nurses were on their way. Ryou felt the larger hand slip silently from his own, and he felt a strange twinge of regret as it did.

Meanwhile, Bakura kept glancing at the still-closed door and swallowed heavily. Despite the supposed 'ban' on using his voice, he felt the urge to make one small, quick request.

"Ryou?" Bakura's rough voice was startlingly subdued as he spoke to the other seated teen. "Woulth you-" here the street punk's face flushed dramatically, "-um, kissth my cheek? For good luck?"

Ryou's own face took on a rich, pink tint; yet he nodded before happily brushing his soft, pale lips against the burned skin.

The shorter boy eventually leaned back and dropped his smile in favor of pretend seriousness. Ryou then pointed to his backside and added, "you're not returning the favor, you know."

The pair started laughing, but they immediately stopped when two nurses came in. They seemed to be different ages, but each was wheeling an operating gurney. Both of the stretchers had two folded objects placed towards the middle of the bed. One item seemed to be a clear bag with a printed label stuck on the front, while the other looked like a folded pile of green fabric.

"Whenever you're ready, please place your personal belongings in the plastic bag-" here the older nurse pointed to the clear, drawstring bag sitting on top of her gurney, "-and don the operating gown before lying on the gurney." She lifted one corner of the teal material, before giving a slight bow of her head. "Rest assured, you will both be given the best of care at Domino General Hospital!"

Both boys nodded while the second nurse reached for the folded curtain that was meant to divide the two patient areas.

Bakura felt his heart-rate skyrocketing as the reality of the procedure grew ever stronger. He glanced up just in time to see Ryou shoot him a nervous smile and a 'thumbs-up' sign. He felt his tensions ease slightly as the nurse slid the heavy partitioning curtain between them.

'Well... here goes nothing.' Bakura sighed as he picked up the clear bag and the greenish-blue gown. He had barely laid down on his gurney when the nurse returned. Apparently Bakura had to be operated on first, in order to prepare his face for the transplanted skin. Then Ryou's donation would be harvested, cleansed, and applied to the still-unconscious recipient.

"We're wheeling you to the anesthesiology ward right now- it's just down this hall." The nurse cheerfully explained.

Bakura felt somewhat put off by the nurse's perky attitude- it reminded him of another nurse he loathed. 'Wonder what Marik and Malik did to that lavender-haired ditz anyway...' His thoughts trailed off as the quiet cart was guided through a set of double-doors. The silver-and-black nameplate above the entryway read 'Anesthesiology.'

The anesthesiologist on call was a rather young doctor. He had kind eyes, though his lower face was covered by a white surgical mask. He carefully placed a clear, plastic form over the nose and mouth of the marred patient. "Alright Mr. Touzokou, that's a good fit- now, I want you to count backwards in your head from 100."

"One-hundred... ninety-nine... ninety-eight... ninety-night..."

Bakura Touzokou took a deep breath, and then everything went blank as the world faded in a swirling blur of colors and sounds.

"-kura?"

"...uhg..."

"Bakura?"

"Mngh..."

"Bakura? Are you awake?"

The still-dazed patient groaned as his eyes flickered open. "Whuth?" He could hear a familiar voice coming from somewhere on his left side. He vaguely recognized it, but for some reason he was too dazed to respond.

"It's all over." The dulcet voice softly explained. "Dr. Kiyoshi just stopped by a few minutes ago, and he said everything went great."

"Nrmm."

Ryou held back a chuckle as he tried not to disturb the clearly exhausted patient. "You wanna go back to sleep now?"

"Hn." Bakura Touzokou gave a faint nod before tilting his head sideways into the soft pillow.

The gentle voice spoke once more, and his mind recognized three pleasant words before he drifted back to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Bakura."


	25. Visiting Vexations

(A/N: ~Only one or two chapters left; thank you all so much for reading and commenting!~ 3)

"Dinner time~!" The red-haired nurse called out in an irritatingly cheerful tone. Ryou politely thanked the orderly as she slid the rolling table-top over his recovery bed and placed a plastic tray down on top.

Even if he could speak, the bandaged Bakura wouldn't likely have thanked the chirpy woman. He glanced down at the 'food' now hovering above his lap on the swiveling side-table.

Bakura stuck his tongue out as he looked over the unappealing meal. The pizza seemed to have melted into such a congealed glob that it was impossible to determine if it even _had_ a crust in the first place. The lone 'vegetable' (and here he was being generous) was only identifiable by its somewhat greenish color; while the accompanying 'fruit dish' the menu had promised- seemed to be missing entirely.

Only the orange gelatin looked edible- but it was in such as small container that it would hardly fill the empty stomach of teenage boy.

Ryou noticed the look on his roommate's face and quickly addressed the perky caregiver. "Oh, miss? I'm sorry; my friend can't really talk right now, but we asked for a special side dish-?" Ryou called to the orderly as she headed back to her food cart.

"That's right!" She quickly covered her mouth with one hand before giving a quick bow. "My apologies; I almost forgot! One moment..."

Thankfully, Ryou had thought ahead, and he had ordered several slices of bread and ham from the cafeteria. Although ham was not technically listed on the hospital menu, he knew that the kitchen served bacon in the morning most days. So, after asking the head chef very politely, Ryou was able to secure a special order for his semi-mute roommate.

Bakura nearly did a dance of joy when he saw the additional tray Ryou had procured for him- six slices of fresh-cut rye bread, with cuts of ham between each paired piece. The dish was accompanied by two tiny containers of spreadable butter and a plastic butter-knife.

Ryou could only watch in amusement as his ravenous roommate eagerly tucked in. He held back a chuckle at the other's predatory enthusiasm. "So, I take it that's good?"

The distracted carnivore could only nod, bits of ham and rye bread dotting his lower mouth. "Mm-hmth!"

The optimistic landlord watched as the specially-ordered sandwiches quickly disappeared. "Oh good... I know it's nowhere near your own cooking level, but the kitchen staff did make a rather generous exception..."

Even if Bakura wanted to speak, he surely would have choked on all the sandwich bread, so he simply used his cell to type out: /You're awesome./

Ryou's face flushed at the compliment, but his expression shifted as he remembered the call he'd taken while Bakura had been resting.

"Um, Bakura? I know it's a little odd, but some of my friends asked if they could drop by today- I tried to explain that it's not a risky surgery, but I guess they're curious about my well-being..."

Bakura Touzokou was hardly eager to play 'host' to a party of strange teens right now, but there was no denying that he owed Ryou several favors. So he decided to suck it up and gave a single nod. /Ok/.

Ryou immediately thanked his roommate, adding that he could always draw the curtains around his own bed if he 'didn't feel social' before describing all of his friends.

Still rather medicated, Bakura decided to catch up on a nap before the others could arrive. He woke up to find Dr. Kiyoshi giving him an update on the surgery- a 'surprising success,' in the man's own words. The doctor also gave the recovering patient permission to freely speak, before closing the privacy curtains at the teen's behest. Though the news was appreciated, Bakura's voice was still strained from the surgical breathing tubes and the moisture-sapping medications. He decided to rely on the ancient cell phone once again for the rest of that day's communications.

'Funny how something I once counted as 'useless' has become so important to me...' The teen mused as he turned the worn rectangular device over in his hand. 'I would never have thought-'

"Hey, anybody in there?!"

A loud voice suddenly sounded outside the door of the pair's room, and Bakura glared as it was followed by a series of loud knocks.

"Jou! Don't act foolish! Do you want us to be kicked out?!" A female voice hastily chastised the first visitor. "Ryou just had surgery! He or his roommate might be sleeping! Try to be considerate for once!"

"Oops, sorry." The abashed voice soon lowered and was followed by a (far lighter) series of knocks. "Hey, can we come in?"

Bakura could hear Ryou's light laughter from the other side of the fabric veil, and the boy cheerfully called out: "It's alright; Jounouchi, we're awake."

Soon a veritable crowd of young adults came traipsing past Bakura's bed. Though he had the privacy curtains drawn, he could still make out some of the figures on the other side through the small opening where the right and left side curtains met.

At first, Bakura was surprised by the bizarre assemblage of friends who came to visit Ryou. Firstly, there were two boys who looked eerily alike (not that he and Ryou were ones to talk). Both of them were shorter than average, with the smaller one barely hitting 5'; and the other only three or four inches above that. Their spiked hairstyles looked like someone had taken several neon highlighters and a black permanent marker and exploded them all in a microwave.

Then there was a girl, who, although very polite; seemed far too talkative to Bakura. His opinion of her did not improve after she gave his donor a big (yet considerate) hug.

Next to pass by was a tall blonde boy- he had a weird accent and was so energetic that Bakura was surprised the nurses let him in the ward at all. He was clearly the idiot who'd been hammering on the door-frame before. There was also a calm brunette boy around the same height as the blonde- he seemed to be keeping an eye on the hyper-active nutcase.

And lastly, there was another male brunette; a preposterously tall teen with a stern face. He didn't seem remotely interested in being there; in fact, he looked annoyed and constipated (emotionally, too). But then the not-so-jolly giant (apparently named 'Seto') was soon able to use his phone to hack into the hospital's television network. He then managed to get the shared room's two televisions almost unlimited channels.

Bakura was starting to see the grumpy guy's usefulness.

Ryou sounded thrilled to see his friends again, but Bakura was a bit miffed by the large crowd- he knew patients weren't supposed to have more than two visitors at a time! So how had they- _oh_. The white-haired deviant frowned. That's right, there were _two_ people in the room- which meant _4_ should be the limit for visitors at one time. But apparently the nurses couldn't count- or didn't care.

'Whatever...' the exhausted youth sighed as he listened to the others speaking. But the displeased patient's silent objections were rapidly inflated by the grumpy guy's reveal of a plastic bag he'd apparently brought in. The tall teen robotic-ally withdrew a triangular bundle of what looked like clear cellophane wrapped around something green and white.

"Mokuba hopes you feel better soon. He couldn't come, but he did ask me to bring you these." Seto muttered as he stiffly handed Ryou a bouquet of brilliantly white daisies and a small vase.

"Oh, they're lovely! Please tell him thank you! This room is so dismal; these'll really help brighten it up!"

Bakura felt his face give a painful twinge as he instinctively scowled. ' _Who's_ _this_ _'Mokuba'_?'

Meanwhile, the blonde began boy looked around, grinning as he loudly inquired, "so, where's your buddy? Y'know, the guy you can't stop talkin' about?"

Bakura blinked in bewilderment. 'Is he referring to _me_?'

The shyer patient clapped a hand over his mouth. "Oh my gosh, that's right; I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce you-" He turned and called softly towards the other side of the thick green curtain. "Bakura, are up to meeting my friends? If you're not feeling great that's fine; we can be quieter."

Nervous, but not wanting to seem off-put, Bakura let out a raspy retort. "Sure."

Ryou then calmly asked one of the visitors to tug back the heavy green curtain separating the two patients. As the curtain was pulled back, the bandaged youth braced himself for their inevitable reactions- he knew his face was still badly swollen and red from the surgery.

Yet overall, the visiting audience seemed wholly un-phased by his appearance.

He noticed a few minor twinges, but on the whole the group seemed to take in his appearance very well. The smallest one didn't even seem to care, and he smiled as he addressed the reclined patient.

"Hi, I'm Yugi! It's nice to meet you!"

Bakura blinked before grabbing his phone.

/Nice to meet you too. Are you in Ryou's grade?/

Yugi read the message and giggled. "Oh no, Ryou's a genius! He's a level above me."

The taller 'copy' of the boy stepped forward and gently placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "Aibou, you are very smart. Just not 'book-smart;' as they say."

Bakura caught Ryou's eye and nudged his head subtly towards the two clones. Ryou knew what he was asking and just smiled and nodded twice. Bakura's response was interrupted by a rather vain voice.

"Hello, my name is Yami Atemu. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Bakura was a little annoyed- when Ryou spoke in large, formal words, it was in a very cordial and polite manner. But this man seemed pretentious to the point of arrogance.

/You too./ Still, Bakura decided to play nice- for Ryou's sake.

Before the patient could type anything more he was interrupted by a large hand being shoved in his face. He jumped backwards as an equally offensive voice hit his ears.

"Jounouchi Katsuya! Nice to meet'cha! Any friend a' Ryou's is a friend a' mine!" The tall blonde had a strange accent. His demeanor further reminded Bakura of a hyperactive squirrel.

He hesitantly shook hands with foreign-squirrel-boy. /Hi. American?/

"Yup! Born an' raised!" The noisy teen pointed proudly at his lean chest. "But I've been here so long I've almost lost my accent- can' believe you picked it up!"

It was probably a good thing Bakura couldn't laugh out loud, or he might've done so before realizing the wild blonde was actually serious.

"This is my 'ol friend Honda-" The shorter brunette gave a light wave, but didn't speak. Evidently he wasn't big on talking.

"And this grouch is Seto Kaiba!" The blonde pointed to the tallest guy, his grin never fading.

The giant didn't offer his hand, but just stiffly said, "Hello."

Bakura only nodded in return, not bothering to use his cell for another one-word response. The group then slowly settled into various conversations, mostly revolving around the surgery.

Strangely enough, the person Bakura got on best with was the tall, grouchy guy. Seto didn't mince words, and he had useful information on how surgeries like this one usually went. He described the healing process and how to minimize scarring. He even recommended a special brand of medicinal ointment that could reduce the appearance of old scars. Bakura wasn't sure how he knew that, but decided not to ask.

Nearly two hours passed before the visitors began slowly filing out of the room. Ryou cheerfully waved them off, grateful to have been visited by so many well-wishers. He glanced sideways at the gift bouquet, now lying on the far end of the bed.

"I should really put these on one of the side tables..." Carefully, the donor maneuvered the stems into the small vase and set them on the wooden side-table next to his bed. As Ryou carefully re-arranged the daisies, he noticed the oddly intense looks he was getting from his quiet roommate. He held back a chuckle as he primped the delicate petals.

"By the way, on the off-chance that you're curious... Mokuba is Seto Kaiba's little brother. He's around 9 or 10 years old, if I recall." He glanced sideways at the anxious punk. "He's a very sweet kid."

"...tch." Bakura looked away with feigned disinterest. "Whathever."

But the crafty landlord wasn't fooled, and in his upbeat mood he couldn't resist a little bit of teasing. "You're not _jealous_ , are you Bakura? I mean, he _is_ the only heir to the Kaiba fortune, besides his brother- are you afraid that I might let a billionaire steal my heart?" The former volunteer grinned impishly at the smirking inpatient.

A loud cackle suddenly came through the door frame, followed by a snarky quip: "Hey, after seeing one of those hospital bills, I can hardly blame anyone for going after their own sugar-daddy!"

" _Malik! Marik!_ " Ryou smiled in delight as the two wild blondes came into the room. "I'm so glad to see you guys! How are you?! Thank you again for the last-minute ride yesterday!"

Malik waved off the extra gratitude with one hand. "No problem."

Marik smirked as he glanced at the heavily-bandaged convalescent. "Really, we just wanted to get a good look at *ss-face in person."

No longer restricted by the doctor's orders, Bakura loudly snarled out, "geth benth, you lunlatic!"

Both of the blondes exchanged bewildered glances before they simultaneously ran over to Ryou.

"Wow, how'd you do it?" Malik added in a stage whisper. "A shock collar? A taser? Frequent beatings?"

"Eh?" Ryou looked baffled at the sudden mention of violence. "I- I don't understand what you mean-?"  
"Bakura _never_ cuts back on his swearing this much- in fact, the last time I saw him go without cursing like a sailor was when we were trying to get out of this one situation with a policeman and a pros-"

" _OKAY_ thath's enough of thath." Bakura hastily stopped the smaller blonde by slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Seriously, it's like you've managed to tame him- I'm impressed!" Marik nodded while patting the now irate inpatient on the back.

The white-haired punk snarled in a low tone as he swatted Marik's hand away. "I'm on a loth of pain medication righth now, so I'm going to leth _that_ one slide. But keep ith up, ahn you'll soon be puth on the same stuff- _**got it**_ _ **h**_ _ **?**_ "

"Bakura, you're really not supposed to strain your voice..." Ryou exasperatedly tried to remind his roommate.

"Aww, he's even concerned for you!" Malik tauntingly cooed, his mouth no longer covered by his friend's pale mitt. "It's like you're a well-trained dog now, huh?"

Marik's voice grew into an irritating sing-song tone as he teased the exasperated patient. "Aw, who's a good Bakura, then~? Who's a good boy~?"

Losing his temper, the white-haired hellion warned the pair. "Either you shuth up, or I'm calling securithy and saying you escapthed from the psych ward."

Ryou spoke up, giving the two dark-skinned teens a pleading look. "Actually, Marik, Malik? I'm quite thirsty, and it takes a really long time to get anything from the kitchen... if I give you a dollar, could you possibly get me something from the vending machines?" Ryou hopefully asked the blonde duo.

The wild pair eagerly agreed and ran off down the hall to find something for their thirsty friend to drink.

Meanwhile, the hickory-eyed youth sighed and turned to his worn-out roommate. "Well, it seems like we'll have a bit more peace and quiet now- sorry about that. I know you're getting tired; I didn't realize they'd be be dropping by as well."

Bakura only snorted and shook his head. "They'll be backth, you know."

"Really? Hmm... I wouldn't be so sure..." The smaller boy trailed off mischievously, earning a bewildered look from his house-guest. "After all, they're both running rather quickly, and I know for a _fact_ the vending machines are situated right on the other side of the main security office..."

Bakura's jaw nearly fell open as he stared at the sly teen and declared: "You're enthirely beyond awesome."

The modest flush he got in return was beyond adorable.


End file.
